Steven Universe: Extinction
by JPLegends
Summary: The Gems have invaded Earth with the intent of humanity's downfall. This is Steven's greatest challenge and will need help from the Crystal Gems, his friends and your input! And it will be an epic story filled with love, death and epic Gem battles. Read and enjoy! Rated T for blood, violence, death, ect. AU set before the Cluster Arc, before Lapis and Jasper separate.
1. Chapter 1: Where are you

**Hey guys, I'm here writing. Sorry for the lack of uploads for those of you who love my writing. I've been busy. But I've been enjoying writing Mass Effect: Awakening and want to write a Steven Universe story on a similar style. As always, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. The same goes with any other material I put in this story, as this story is set in our world. Please do not flame or troll, but constructive criticism is welcomed by me. Now please, enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

STEVEN UNIVERSE: APOCALYPSE

CHAPTER ONE: Where Are You

Steven is utterly exhausted. He was up reading a book that Connie introduced to him. One page turned into one chapter. One chapter turned to ten. And he couldn't stop thinking of everything that had happened while reading. Pearl betraying the team just to fuse with Garnet. Garnet forgiving Pearl. Peridot escaping by the skin of her teeth. Except there was one thing missing. Lapis and Jasper were still fused. They were still missing. And Steven hadn't heard from his ally in arms for a while. He was so deep in thought he hadn't seen Garnet slip up in front of him.

"Reading this late?" Garnet was looking down on him, grinning. Steven could see his reflection in her futuristic shades. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was not that energetic looking either. He looked down and realized that he had knocked out most of the book in one sitting. Even Connie wasn't guilty to that. (Well, she probably is but you get the idea.) He checked the clock. 11:45.

"I should probably head to bed, huh?" Steven asked, yawning. Garnet nodded, taking the book from his hands and placing it on the table in front of the couch. The boy did not argue. He marched straight up the stairs and flopped onto the bed. He could hear Garnet's deep giggle a little bit away.

"Sweet dreams." She said before walking back into the temple. Steven shifted for a minute, before finding a comfortable spot on the bed. He then stared breathing slowly before slipping into sleep. Instead of finding himself in a dream, he found himself in a dark area standing on green colored water. He looked around before finding a figure, blue in color, banded by chains of water. Steven knew immediately who this was.

Lapis Lazuli.

He sprinted up to her and found her to be sweating fiercely. Her arms were shaking and her legs were wobbling. Still, she stood her ground. She was holding Jasper, and Malachite, with the weight of the Earth's ocean. "Lapis!" He said suddenly, causing Lapis to shudder a little.

"Steven," She said in a strained voice. "Why are you here…" She turned to him, anger in her eyes. "Why are you back?" Steven looked as startled as she was.

"I don't know, honest," Steven said. "I just showed up. But, please, Lapis, we need to know where you are!"

"No…Steven," Lapis said. "Jasper…she could…"

"Forget about Jasper," Steven said pleadingly. "She was defeated once. We can defeat her again!" Lapis started to fall. Steven got under her and tried to keep her up.

"Steven, I have to do this for you," Lapis said, tears in her eyes. "Just let me help…"

"You've already helped me a lot," Steven says, pulling up on the chain. "You warned us about Jasper's ship coming. Lapis, you've been doing this for months. Just tell me where you are!"

A look of uncertainty crossed Lapis's face. Tears were crawling down her face. Then everything started going dark. Steven could feel the chains slipping from his fingers. His surroundings were fading. He was starting to wake up.

"Lapis, quickly," Steven begs. "Where are you? Peridot sent a message to your home world. I think they're coming with more ships! Please, we need help!" Lapis closes her eyes and screams. Steven finds himself on his bed, sweat crawling down his face. He then processed the seriousness of the situation. What Peridot had said weeks ago.

"This planet has an expiration date, and I won't be here to see it happen."

The best thing he could do now is just help Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl find her. He got up and prepared his breakfast.

 **So, if you like this, give the story some love. No flaming or trolling please. Constructive criticism is welcomed heavily. I would also enjoy ideas from the readers, you guys! Humanity is facing extinction soon and Steven can't do it alone. I intend to make this epic, and I hope you will stay around for the end. See you next chapter!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	2. Chapter 2: The Experation Date

**Hello, guys! I would have made another story the next day, but I've been busy. And it builds suspense. So anyway, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. The same goes with anything else I name in this chapter. Please, no flaming or trolling. Constructive criticism is also welcomed, and make sure to make your choice at the end of the chapter, once you know what the choices are. Read on, and have epic feelings while reading.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER TWO: The Expiration Date

Steven has been trying to contact Lapis for the next two months, to no success. This frustrated him to no end, as he knew privately it would come. The apocalypse of Earth came with the gems coming to extract Peridot. The others probably knew this too, but were focused on catching the green gem. Steven tried not to focus too hard, going into deep conversations with Connie, watching cartoons with the gems or hanging out with Greg. But today, it would be different.

It started when Steven and the gems started to fight Peridot in the middle of a field. "You clods," Peridot called, shooting her hand cannon at Steven's shield. "You've already lost!"

"What do you mean?" Garnet yells, trying to hammer Peridot with her gauntlets. Peridot dodges the punch and cackles.

"They've finally come to get me out of this retched planet," She says. "Now die!"

A giant, green hand pointing at the ground appears. A mini-laser gun starts firing at the gems, as they hide behind a massive version of Steven's shield. Peridot disappears in green particles as the hand stops firing. The massive gem ship stops, tilts upward, and disappears with a sonic boom. Steven deactivates his shield, exhausted and confused. Just like Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. "What was that?" Amethyst says, bewildered.

"A gem warship," Pearl says. "It's gone but why was it here? Steven…" Steven started running back to the warp pad, sweat running down his face. If one ship was here… He checked the news on his phone. There were thousands of the ships in the skies everywhere. Washington D.C, London, Tokyo, Moscow. All of the cities had hundreds of gem ships hovering above their heads. He got on the warp pad and warped back home. He ran through the house onto the patio. And he saw it for himself.

Hundreds of gem, hand-like warships above the city. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl appeared behind him, all looking terrified. Surely they were here for Peridot, scanning the cities for her. Surely they will leave once the ship that took Peridot joined the armada.

One of the ships opened fire on the city, its laser ripping the ground to shreds. Then all of the ships opened fire, carving holes in the buildings and starting fires, as screams started echoing the through Beach City. And all Steven could do was watch in horror as one of the ships aimed at the temple. He heard Garnet yell "MOVE!" and the ship fired, carving into the patio. Removing Steven's weight a he fell through the rummage of the wood and onto the sand and ruin below, hitting his head, causing a concussion.

Steven struggled to stay awake as a body picked up Steven and dragged him across the ruin. The body was tall and slender, almost like Pearl. Steven blacked out again and found him in front of his house, now on fire. The body picked him up, and Steven saw more detail. It was covered in futuristic yellow armor, with a box-like object on its hip. It had a yellow diamond on its chest and a helmet completely covering the face. A visor covering the eyes, the body, male in shape, threw Steven away from it. It then touched its gauntlet and said in a mechanical voice "This is ground team zeta. I've apprehended Rose Quartz. What are my orders?"

"Keep her alive," said a menacing, deep voice. "If Jasper's report is true, we'll have leverage over their force." The soldier looked at Steven briefly before Garnet grabbed its arm and judo flipped it a few feet away. As the soldier gets up, Garnet summons her gauntlets and gets in a battle stance, snarling at the gem soldier. The soldier draws the object from its hip, which folds into a pistol looking object. The soldier fires the gun, a yellow laser bolting at the Crystal Gem. Garnet dodges the blast, which vaporizes a rock behind Garnet. Steven then sees Amethyst's whip wrap around the hand, pulling the gun arm back. Another whip grabs the soldier's other arm, restraining the soldier from attacking.

"Yo," Amethyst yells, out of view. "Don't expect us to be killed so easily! And don't expect us to leave our guy behind!" Pearl yells a battle cry, appears out of nowhere and stabs the soldier. The gem explodes in a yellow cloud, poofed until all was left was the green white gem. Pearl grabs the object and throws the object to Garnet, who smashes it with her gauntlets. They rush over to Steven, checking his wounds.

"I'm okay." Steven lied. He was light headed, shocked and everything felt shattered. Garnet checked his gem, which was still in one piece. They all sighed in relief and helped Steven up. Walking away from the shattered ruin of the temple, they started talking.

"We need to get out of Beach City," Pearl said, hobbling on Steven's right. "We need to find somewhere safe."

"Nowhere is safe anymore," Garnet said, spinning around, looking for more assailants. "The invasion force is starting to overwhelm Earth. They'll be everywhere soon." They turned the corner around the cliff, now having a clear view of the multiple ships firing on the city. Steven was brought to tears at this sight. He whipped out his phone, calling Greg. They stopped for a minute, taking cover behind a piece of wreckage.

"STEVEN," Greg yelled on the other end. "Thank God you're alive! Where are you? We need to get out of Beach City!"

"Dad," Steven said. "The gems are invading Earth! Nowhere is safe! You need to meet us at the warehouse! We can get out of the city from there!" Steven waited nervously for a response.

"Okay," Greg rasped, sounding on the verge of sobbing. "Be safe."

"You too." Steven said before hanging up. They got up and started sneaking along the rocky cliff side. They continued until they got to the run down warehouse. They started walking there until they heard a few voices. They took cover on the outside wall. Steven peeked over to see the Fryman family held at gunpoint by gem soldiers, wearing the same uniform the soldier that attacked Steven wore. The father looked beaten down. He hadn't gone without a fight. Peedee was on the brink of tears. Ronaldo was pale, clearly terrified. Steven also saw other people.

Lars was unconscious on the floor, bleeding from his nose and mouth. Sadie was sobbing at his side. Sour Cream was hugging Onion tightly as Vidalia looked at the gems with a fierce expression. Buck was at gunpoint, one of his glasses shattered. His father was held at gunpoint too, although sweating wildly. Almost all of Beach City was held hostage, and the gems were responsible. All of the sudden, a soldier said something and they all started moving. Steven and the gems sidled along the side of the warehouse, seeing the gems heading for the lighthouse.

They waited for a few more minutes until Greg's van appeared. They ran for the van, got in and Greg sped off along the road, disobeying all traffic laws. "Are you okay?" Greg asked desperately.

"I can't believe it," Steven muttered. "They're holding all of Beach City hostage in the light house. What are they going to do to them?"

"How are we going to fight back," Amethyst asked, terrified. "We're outnumbered one to a billion!"

"We need to get the Beach City residents back," Garnet says. "We can't win it without them. We need to get a bunch of people, weapons, guerilla attacks…"

"We need Connie," Steven interrupted. "I can't see us surviving without her." He took in all the looks he got from the gems and Greg in the middle. He looked out the middle they were halfway out of Beach City.

"We need good plans, guys," Steven barked. "Connie's full of them. Pearl, you and her could think out attack plans. Garnet, she's a valuable ally! She can fight with a sword! Amethyst, you have to agree with me!"

"He's right," Garnet said, taking in looks from the others. "Having her on our side will be a coup. And I can't see us winning anything without her." Steven hugged Garnet. She had always believed in Steven and now, they needed all they could get.

"I'll take us to her neighborhood," Greg says, catching his breath. "If it's still standing, her family might be alive. Steven, Lion arrived just before the attack. He's waiting in an armory of sorts. He must have been theorizing about an attack." This was now the battle plan. Find Connie, and her family if possible, go to the armory, plan out an attack, rescue Beach City's hostages and return to the armory. Steven looked out the window, as they left behind Beach City. He will be back. And he will win.

 **What do Steven and co. find at Connie's house? I leave the answer to you, and the suggestion I like best will be shown on the next chapter. I don't own Steven Universe. No flaming or trolling. Constructive criticism is welcomed. And comment your suggestion on what you think should happen. A new chapter will be posted on Friday. See you then.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	3. Chapter 3: Laying Ambush

**Hello, guys! Sorry I haven't updated my other story. I've fallen deeper into the mysterious abyss of Ocarina of Time, because I've never had a childhood. I'll try to do it more often. No back to business. Nobody left any input on what they think should happen at Connie's house, so I left it to my partner's opinion. Please, I want you to have a form of control over how this story goes. So leave suggestions to what you think should happen. Anyway, no flaming or trolling. I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Constructive criticism is welcomed also. Read and enjoy!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER THREE: LAYING AMBUSH

Steven usually had a hyper, positive outlook on every situation. But now, he was as serious as ever. How could he be happy when he knew that there was death and destruction everywhere? And now seven billion lives are riding on his victory. Looking back, he wondered how the people in Beach City were treated. Were they being held prisoner? Were they being executed? If they died, Steven would do everything in his power to make sure they went down as martyrs.

They finally arrived in the suburban area where Connie lives after what seemed like an eternity of silence, and surprisingly, it was still intact. The lights were off but the transformers were functional. At this point, everyone knew what Earth was going through. They were hiding. Greg's van halted outside of complex 425: the Maheswaran residence. Greg, Steven and the gems leaped out of the van and ran for Connie's house. Steven banged at the door, saying "Connie, It's Steven!" Mr. Maheswaren opened the door and looked at them. He stood aside, letting them in. He closed and locked the door behind them.

Steven was suddenly hit by something when his head was exploring. He looked to see Connie hugging him. She then pulled back, saying "Steven, thank God you're okay! How bad is it in Beach City?"

"Bad," Steven said, tears welling in his eyes. "The temple's destroyed. We got out by the skin of our teeth." Connie put her hands on her mouth. They, minus Connie's parents, knew that the day would come. They just hadn't expect it to come so quickly. And they certainly hadn't expected the scale.

"Why haven't they attacked us?" Dr. Maheswaran asks, a worried look in her eye.

"They're focusing on the bigger cities first," Pearl says, producing a hologram of Earth, with an 'x' where the gems have attacked to their knowledge. "London, Moscow, Tokyo and Chicago have already gone dark. And that's just the ones I know of. Because they've attacked Beach City, they've started moving on to smaller areas."

"They're blasting away everything that moves," Amethyst says, looking away, her fists balled. "All of Beach City is held captive."

"Why?" Mr. Maheswaran says, suddenly furious.

"We'll explain later," Steven says. "For now we need to…"

"Quiet!" Garnet barks. They start hearing distant sounds of mechanical pods, metal scraping ground. Then there is a number of footsteps, and another unidentifiable sound. Then Garnet yells "TAKE COVER!" kicking a table as a flurry of lasers start blasting and carving their way in the home. Steven, Greg, the gems and the Maheswarans take cover behind the table, which is already turning to shambles.

Steven vaults over the table and focuses on the time Connie almost got stabbed by a Holo-Pearl in her training. The feeling of protection goes straight to his gem, which forms a massive pink shield, which deflects the lasers from the table. Twenty seconds pass with Steven's shield up, until the barrage of lasers halts. Steven collapses his shield, and falls to his knees, panting. "Garnet, they're armed," Steven says. "How many are there?"

"Seven or eight." Garnet responds. Steven looks over his shoulder to see Connie sobbing, Dr. Maheswaran shivering and Mr. Maheswaran paralyzed with fear. They weren't cut out for this, and neither was Greg. He was hyperventilating. He needed to find a way to get them out of the house safely.

"Connie, Dad, Mr. and Dr. Maheswarn; listen carefully," Steven said. "Go upstairs and don't make a sound. Find a way out of the house and get into Greg's van as soon as you hear fighting. Once you are there, stay inside and don't move. Now go! Hurry!" The four bolted up the stairs and the gems joined him in front of the table.

"Noble move, shrimp," Amethyst said, proudly. "What's our plan?"

"Come outside and surrender, Rose Quartz," A metallic voice booms. "I am Gem Lieutenant Obsidian. I'd like you to know who killed you at the end of tonight. Come out or we go in!" None of the team moved. Instead, they summoned their weapons. They were ready to fight. There was a cackle and then the door exploded. Through the black cloud, they saw six gem soldiers, Peridot and a large soldier in green armor and a black cape, a large chunk of obsidian on his solar plexus. Peridot had her hand canon armed, the soldiers had their pistols, and Obsidian had a large trident-like weapon.

Steven and his team wasted no time. Garnet went in for Obsidian, Pearl bolted for Peridot, and Steven and Amethyst attacked the soldiers. There was a flurry of lasers going everywhere, Steven's shield only covered by the team's nimbleness and agility. Steven managed to poof two soldiers, Amethyst three, when Garnet went flying into a wall. Amethyst poofed the last soldier when Steven's attention was averted to Obsidian about to impale a stunned Garnet. Steven then threw the shield at Obsidian's head, knocking off the helmet.

"You noble little man," Obsidian said, closing in on Steven. "I like your attitude! You've got guts! Too bad I've got to smash them to pieces." Obsidian had purple-grey skin, with black sclera, purple iris and a black pupil for his eyes. His hair was close-cropped and grey. Steven looked around. Pearl was occupied with Peridot and Amethyst was trying to get Garnet on her feet. He was on his own. He summoned another shield and blocked Obsidian's trident thrust. He managed to swerve around Obsidian's attack, which was difficult, seeing as Steven only went up to Obsidian's ab region. Steven managed to step behind the tall warrior and hit the back of his knee. Obsidian dropped, which allowed Steven to crash his shield to the back of Obsidian's head. The warrior roared in response and pushed the boy back.

Obsidian closed in on the winded Steven, rage glistening in his eyes. But before he could do anything, Obsidian went flying all of the sudden when a massive leg crashed into his body. Steven saw the huge fusion Sugilite grinning with bloodlust. She then turned to Peridot and did the same as she did to Obsidian. Sugilite then unfused, to form Garnet and Amethyst. "They're only unconscious," Garnet said. "We need to go. Quickly!" They raced out of the house, past gem pods and to Greg's van. Inside were the Maheswarans and Greg, just as Steven told them to be.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl crawled in the back with the Maheswarans and Steven got in the front with Greg. "Go, Dad," Steven said, urgently. "Hurry!" Greg turned on the van and they raced out of the neighborhood, leaving 425 in shambles.

. . .

Steven, Greg, the gems and the Maheswarans were shaken by what had just gone down. And it was only followed by them going into a forest, where a warp pad was placed conveniently. They warped (with Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran stunned) to the Cliffside of Rose's Armory, which was three miles away. Thanks to Connie's helpful information saying that lions can hear for five miles, Steven bellowed "LION, WE'RE HERE!" And a pink portal appeared, Lion jumping through. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl jumped onto Lion's back, as Steven, Greg and the Maheswarans stayed in the pocket dimension within Lion's mane, with Steven's instructions to hold their breath and jump headfirst into the pink grass to get out after a few seconds. They were soon in the armory, the only safe place left.

"What is going on," Mr. Maheswaran roared. "Why are we here? What's invading Earth? What do you have to do with it?" He pointed to Steven and the gems.

"Connie, can you help Dad explain everything to them," Steven asked. "We have work to do." Connie nodded and started from the beginning: Steven. As this was going on, Steven walked up to the pillar and put his hand on it, summoning all the weapons. The gems looked around, all of them frustrated.

"These will never do," Pearl cried. "Their technology is too strong. We need actual weapons that can fight them. We need their technology! We need an inside source."

"What inside source is there," Amethyst asks. "Lapis is still stuck at the bottom of the sea. And even if we find her, she won't know anything. And Jasper is not going to talk."

"We need to focus at one thing at a time," Garnet says. "Our weapons work well against the gems, we don't need to worry about that now. Our priority right now is a form of fighting force."

"We don't have anything!" Amethyst yells.

"Yes we do," Garnet says, calmly. "We have four gem warriors, two experienced human soldiers, a medic and a driver." Steven knew that wasn't enough. The 'four gem warriors' couldn't win a war on their own. The 'Two experienced human fighters', Connie and Mr. Maheswaran, were weaker than they were, and Mr. Maheswaran might be reluctant to help. It was the same situation with the 'medic', Dr. Maheswaran. She is a very experienced doctor and surgeon, but the chances of her helping them are low. And the 'driver', Greg, only has a van.

"I know Connie and Dad will want to help," Steven says. "But what about Connie's parents?" He looked over, and as Connie explained, the parents looked more and more angry and shocked.

"They don't have a choice," Garnet says. "Right now, we're their best chance of survival."

"We still don't have any soldiers to fight a fight," Pearl says. "What do we do about that?"

"We free the populous of Beach City." Garnet says. Seven words could never sound more suicidal. Their best chance is Beach City, though. Defeated, they go back over to the others, who had finished talking.

"Boy," Connie's mother says to Steven. "I should file a restraining order on you."

"Please, Mom," Connie says. "Do you know how many times he's saved my life?"

"And do you know how many times she's saved mine," Steven asks. "You should be proud of her. Look, we need your help. Connie's a smart person and we need a plan…"

"You need a miracle," Connie's father interrupts. "What makes you think we'll help you after what Connie's told us?"

"You have no choice," Garnet says. "Earth is dead, and you won't last ten minutes out there without help. If you care about Earth, your daughter, then you'll help us fight."

The two looked at each other and sighed in defeat. "What do you want?" Mr. Maheswaran said.

"Beach City's population." Garnet says.

"You're insane!" Dr. Maheswaran barks.

"We need a way to fight, Doctor," Pearl says. "Beach City is our step forward in victory. And we need to escape with its population."

"You need guns," Mr. Maheswaran says. "And you don't have them."

"We don't need them," Pearl says. "Garnet, Amethyst and I will fight them enough for a distraction. And as their forces ae occupied, Steven and Connie sneak in with Lion and help them escape."

"Why Connie?" Dr. Maheswaran barks, putting an arm around Connie.

"Steven's weapon is defensive," Pearl explains. "We need someone with offensive capabilities to go with him. And I trained Connie in swordsmanship. She's mastered it."

"Or we could cause less of a ruckus," Connie suggests. "Sneak to the prisoners, take out the guards in the area and sneak them out. There's a chance all of us make it out alive instead of me and Steven."

"It would make it more difficult to escape," Pearl said. "It's a higher risk of losing the prisoners."

"We don't have time to debate anyways," Garnet says. "We'll decide on the way there. You two should stay here. Don't worry, the armory is a mystery to the gems. This is the safest place on Earth right now." And with that, they leave, going to free Beach City.

 **Wow, that was a long one. So, do they go with the aggressive rout or the stealthy rout? Based on your decision, there will be a certain amount of prisoners free. I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. No flaming or trolling although constructive criticism is welcomed. I await your decision. See you next chapter, which will be on Wednesday. See you then.**

 **God bless, JPLegends.**


	4. Chapter 4: In the Halls of the Usurper

**Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter of this. I got a majority of you asking for the stealth option, so here it is. I do not own Steven Universe and its characters, ideas, ect. Feel free to place constructive criticism in my hands. But don't flame or troll. Anyway, read and enjoy. And if you the reference in the chapter name, please tell me because you have great taste.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER FOUR: In the Halls of the Usurper

Steven and Connie were riding on Lion's back, fearing what might happen once they got to the lighthouse. They had decided to go with the stealth option over everything else. But there were issues. The distraction they had planned was not a good one. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl had to attack the lighthouse still because there weren't any resources to cause anything better. And the moment Lion had to fight, everyone in the fortress would know they were there. All in all, this plan had a good chance of going south. But they had to try. Earth depended on this victory.

They parked a good way from the hill. Greg could see the abandoned warehouse through a pair of binoculars, which had turned into an armory. "This is perfect," Amethyst said, optimistic. "There are tons of weapons and vehicles in there. Once we get the prisoners, we can head down to the warehouse and escape with their weapons! And Greg can lead the way away!" Connie, Pearl and Greg thought this was a good idea. Garnet and Steven thought otherwise, but they would have the leg up they needed. The gems departed from the rest of the team, and the others waited.

"Lion, listen," Steven said, as Lion, the pink lion, perked his ears up. "This is really important. As such, I need you to follow my orders as I say it when I say it. When I speak, you listen. Growl if you understand." Lion bared his teeth and let out a low growl. Distantly, an explosion went off on the side of the lighthouse. There was also the quiet sound of fighting. Steven and Connie hopped on Lion's back.

"Be careful!" Greg said, nervous.

"We'll make it, don't worry." Steven said, filled with adrenaline. Lion barked, opening a portal in the air. The beast jumped through and fell into the top room of the lighthouse. There were two gem soldiers standing guard at the door, with the residents of Beach City packed inside. The soldiers raised their guns, and pointed them at Steven, Connie and Lion.

Then, everything went sideways.

Lion yelled at them. They went flying into the door, as the rafting and wall collapsed around them. The noise that was made was horribly loud, and the gems downstairs have to have heard it. Steven jumped off of Lion and looked at all of the people. "How many of you are there?" He asks.

"Seventeen." Buck Dewy said. He looked miserable.

"Who died?" Steven asked, not know what he was saying.

"Mayor Dewy," Lars said, sounding depressed. "Nanefua Pizza, Ronaldo Fryman and Vidalia Yellowtail." Steven looked around. Buck usually was very calm and careless, but he had never looked so destroyed. The Pizza family looked very mournful, and so did Peedee and Mr. Fryman. Sour Cream was in a corner, comforting Onion, who was crying silently. The gems did this, and Steven was sure he will guarantee their vengeance. Suddenly, there were footsteps on the other side of the rubble. It could be the Crystal Gems, but they couldn't take any chances.

"Everyone," Connie called out. "Onto the window's walk! It's the platform surrounding the light on the lighthouse! Quickly! Up the stairs!" Everyone went up the spiral stairs in the middle of the room, except Steven, Connie and Lion. Steven motioned his fingers at Connie, saying 'come here'. Connie and Lion got behind Steven who faced the door as the footsteps got louder. The door then was blasted open and Steven summoned his shield in a giant form, protecting Connie and Lion from the frenzy of lasers.

Steven took a good look behind him. Connie was gone. Lion was there, though. Connie must have leaped of the rafting above, before the gems came in. He turned back, looking at the five soldiers firing and the one big soldier behind them. Steven knew that was Obsidian, which made the job of escaping ten times harder. Steven ducked, disarming his shield. He covered his ears, as Lion yelled, sending the five soldiers into Obsidian. In the confusion, Connie drops from the ceiling and slashes at the soldiers with her sword. "Find a way to get them out," Connie yells, hacking at them. "Find a way out!"

Steven grunts and turns to Lion. "Lion," He says. "Teleport them to the bottom of the lighthouse and get Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl to provide protection to the Beach City population. Go!" Lion turns and runs up to the window's walk. Steven summons a regular sized shield and bolts for the soldiers. Two have already been poofed, and Connie was hacking at a third, while avoiding Obsidian's trident slashes. Steven throws his shield at another soldier, which goes through its torso, poofing it. Steven catches it and guard's Connie from fire by another soldier.

"Connie!" Steven yells, getting tired. The girl gets the message and runs toward Steven. The boy tries not to collapse as Connie leaps onto his soldiers. Then, the weight is removed as Connie leaps again, toward the guards. She slashes at one guard, which poofs. When she lands, the other soldier and taken out its gem destabilizer. Connie dodges its stab, elbows it in the rib area, where there is no armor, and flips it over her back. On the last move, she grabs the destabilizer and sends it into the gem's solar plexus. It is poofed, and Connie stands up, which a sword in each hand.

Steven turns to see Obsidian about to hammer him with his trident. The hit lands and Steven is sent flying. He lands onto Connie who is brought to the floor with him. Steven tries to get up, but collapses onto his hands and knees. He is exhausted. He summoned his shield too much and now his body is in so much pain. Connie stands in front of Steven, sword drawn, ready to defend him from the gem in front of them. "Connie," He rasps. "Don't…"

"How adorable," Obsidian purrs. "You're ready to defend your ally. Even if it means your life?" Connie doesn't answer. She just sits there, solid as steel. "I fought Rose Quartz in the war," Obsidian says, eyeing Steven. "You fight differently. You're faster, more energetic, more bold. That gem you possess is Rose Quartz's. The same with that shield. But you are not her. You are something else." He takes a step forward, and Connie points her sword at him.

"Stay back!" She says. Obsidian smiles in a sinister way. But before he could do anything, Lion runs down the stairs and yells at Obsidian. The man goes flying through the wall, into the darkness of night. Connie carries Steven onto Lion's back and hops on herself. They then head down the stairs and enter a battle. The Crystal Gems are still holding, but are getting tired. Only when Connie yells "MOVE! LET'S GO!" do they follow, with gem forces at their tail. The head out the door, and join the civilians outside as they start running downhill toward the warehouse, where Greg, and gem weapons and vehicles are waiting.

Steven is way too tired to comprehend anything, but can only hear the words of Connie saying "Stay with me", "You'll be okay" and "You did good up there." They enter the warehouse, where there is a wall mounted with gem guns, weapons and devices and a little bit away, three green colored vessels, which look like hovering tanks with a turret for a cannon.

"Everyone," Garnet calls out. "Grab all of the weapons and get in the transport vehicles." The people take an assortment of laser assault rifles, pistols and submachineguns, along with grenades, backpacks of flask robonoids and gem destabilizers. They then board the vehicles, each using a Crystal Gem to drive them. The gem soldiers then come in and start firing on everyone. Everyone takes cover inside the vehicles and starts firing back. Soon, lasers are flying everywhere. Connie is trying to traverse the room and find Greg's van.

"Steven!" Greg calls out. Steven looks at the nearby van, which looks like it's going to be inactive soon. Greg looks scared, just wanting his son back.

"You need to retreat," Connie yells. "We have what we came for! We'll escape on another gem vehicle," A grenade explodes nearby. "GO!"

Greg drives away. "Let's go!" Garnet yells from inside a vehicle. Two of them start leaving, following Greg's van. One remains, which is still firing. Lion bolts for the vehicle, but something big blocks the way. Lion crashes, and Connie and Steven fall off. Steven looks up at the figure, unable to look and sees the figure that fell out of the lighthouse. Obsidian. And he looked mad. Steven tried to back away, but Obsidian was closing in. Lion was knocked out, being dragged into the vehicle by Lars and Jamie. Obsidian, meanwhile, was laughing.

"Get away!" Connie yells. She tries to jump and slash Obsidian. But the gem swings his hand back, crashing into Connie's stomach. She goes flying and falls limp on the floor. Steven looks in horror as Sadie and Onion carry her into the vehicle. Steven, too weak, cannot fight by himself. He's stuck. And with the gem soldiers closing in around Obsidian, Steven is lost to them.

He is picked up by the menace and is brought to eye level with him. "You have been a big trouble to us, boy," Obsidian says. "Yellow Diamond will love to tear you apart." Steven looks into his eyes in horror. Yellow Diamond? That's the last thing he wants to happen. He looks at the vehicle, hoping that someone will come out and save him. But they are struggling to get to the exit of the thing. He looks back at Obsidian, who takes his raised fist and thumps him in the head. With that, Steven blacks out, and wakes inside a gem holding cell.

 **Yes, Steven just got captured by Obsidian and is going to meet Yellow Diamond. And there is no input on anything this time. All you can do is wait until Friday! Mwahahaha! I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. No flaming or trolling because I know I will get it. Constructive criticism is welcomed also! See you on Friday! Sweet dreams!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	5. Chapter 5: Yellow Diamond

**Hey guys! First off, thanks to Dante Watterson to helping me with this story. Without him, I would be going nowhere with this fast, as he helped me with ideas that will show up later and the character appearing in this very chapter, which is his creation! Now, back to business. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Feel free to leave constructive criticism but don't flame or troll. Now, time for action filled goodness! Read and enjoy!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER FIVE: Yellow Diamond

Steven woke up in the familiar area of green walls and a familiar yellow field blocking the exit. These fields could hold back gems, but not humans. Steven, being a hybrid, is immune to these fields. But there are two gem soldiers guarding each cell, and the hall filled with cells seemed to go on forever. So, Steven would not take his chances. He checked his face to see if anything was damaged. Feeing the warm liquid on his lower lip, he assumed that his nose was broken. He wiped away the crimson fluid dripping down his chin and sat in the cell. His fate was sealed. There is no going back to his friends.

He waited for a while when two gem soldiers stopped in the middle of the hall, arguing. One was tall and muscular, like Jasper, but in green armor and a green cape. The second was shorter, between Amethyst and Pearl's height, but skinnier and wearing a red cape. "You don't understand," said the smaller one. "Those are our people down there! We can't fight our people! It's treachery!"

"They're rebels, Soren," the more muscular one said. "Either they give up or they die. And they had this coming anyway. Some humans don't get in the way of our colonization. We'll wipe them all out." Soren put his finger in the bigger one's face.

"That's not fair," Soren said. "This was their planet first! We can't just take it!"

"Get out of my face, Spessartine!" the taller one said, smacking the hand away.

"I don't take orders from you, Jadeite!" Soren said, hooking Jadeite's helmeted jaw. Jadeite stood there before taking Soren by the shoulders and kneeing his helmet. Steven jumped back as Jadeite followed it with slamming Soren's face into the cell's field. Soren took off his helmet which had shattered. His skin is orange, his hair red which has a large bang covering his yellow eye. Steven could see Soren's spessartine gem on the web of his tongue. He eyed Steven briefly before getting back up.

"Leave before I report you to Yellow Diamond." Jadeite said. Soren left without a word. Instead of following, Jadeite turned his head to Steven. He walked toward the cell, saying "Well, look who it is. Not Rose Quartz, but still as wiry. I have beef with you, boy." Steven eyed the helmeted figure callously.

"Do I know you?" Steven asked, which sounded more like a question. Jadeite simply cackled.

"You don't see the family resemblance?" Jadeite took of his helmet and Steven, to his horror, found that Jadeite looked like Jasper. He had no markings on his face, his skin was lime green and his hair was shorter. But the eyes were still yellow, the hair was still white and the gem, a chunk of jadeite, was still where the nose was supposed to be.

"You look like Jasper!" Steven said, in awe.

"Jadeite," the gem said. "I'm Jasper's brother. We heard that Jasper's ship went down and that he was MIA. Now, I'm seated in front of the man who made my brother disappear. And personally, I hope Yellow Diamond lets me to you first. If she does, I'll beat you within an inch of your life. One bruise for every hour I've waited. If Yellow Diamond doesn't kill you first." And with a satisfied grin, Jadeite leaves Steven.

Steven could only wait as he constantly thought what would happen to him. Only a few minutes after the talk, Soren comes back flicking his hand upward. The field became deactivated and Soren said "Yellow Diamond will see you now." Steven got up and walked out of the cell, keeping his head down. They walked for a while, Steven hostile at the gem guarding him. After a few minutes, Soren stops him and shoves him to his knees. Steven doesn't look up. Soren leaves as Steven takes in his surroundings. A bridge of some sort, with a glass floor and a crystal dome underneath. He could see home world and the gems, with the new found militia, fighting below. They looked like ants.

"You're not Rose Quartz," says a cold female voice. "But you have her gem. What are you?" Steven looks up to see a yellow figure with green armor and a long, yellow cloak in front of him. The figure has an hourglass figure with bright yellow eyes, and bright yellow hair in a bob cut with two spike tips. She has a yellow diamond, oval shaped, in the center of her chest. Steven knew who this was.

Yellow Diamond.

Yellow kneels in and looks at Steven closely. Her eyes pierce right into Steven's mind. And all he could feel was fear. She radiated power and strength. She was intimidating enough just looking at him. Then she forms a looks of disgust and kicks him back. Steven, winded, attempts to get up. He manages to get to his knees. He was so winded. "A gem-human hybrid," Yellow says. "Impossible! Well, not if you were made in an artificial womb a gem or a human. But that would be sacrificing the actual being of that gem. And you have Rose Quartz's gem," Yellow then wields a look of wonder. "Rose Quartz is dead!"

Steven knew he couldn't fight Yellow Diamond on his own. He just stayed on his knees. "What is your name, boy?" Yellow asks, in a surprisingly friendly manner. As if two friends met for the first time.

"Steven Quartz Universe," Steven says. "My mom, Rose, you knew her?"

"I fought her, Steven," Yellow says, familiar with the concept of human names apparently. "She downed my forces and told me to leave. My best lieutenants couldn't beat her and her army. And now, Earth is ours for the taking. It's only defenders after all are humans, three gem warriors and you. The remnants of a fallen legend. So weak. So vulnerable. Defeated."

"You can try," Steven say, valiantly. "But we'll defend it to the last man. This is our home and the only way you're taking it is over my dead body! The odds may be against us, but look what we did on our own. We took down a ship, captured one of your lieutenants and had another begging to go home!"

"You're bold. You have heart," Yellow says. "Just like your mother. I like you, kid. But you are flawed. So you took down one ship. We have a million more. So you captured a lieutenant. We have thousands. And if the only way we're taking your planet is over your dead body, then I believe that's the idea. You cannot stop us, for we are legion. The end of your days."

"I'll stop you," Steven says. "And I'm ready to die to do it."

"Look down below, Steven," Yellow says. "Watch as your army and mine fight and gain no ground. Now, watch it burn." Steven looked up to see Yellow touch her earpiece and say "Call in the Cluster." Steven looks back down to grasp upon what will happen but nothing happens. He looks up to see Yellow's face contort with rage. "Call in the Cluster!" She repeats. Nothing happens. She looks at Steven, and her face trembles with hatred. He is winded again as he is kicked back again, landing a few inches away. Yellow then speaks, sounding cold and callous.

"You've been busy, haven't you," She says, stepping on his chest. "You did have more victories than I thought. You may have a chance at winning. I'll end that now." Yellow then summons her weapon. A Sai. She then summons electricity and sends it into Steven's body. The boy screams in pain, trying to take in the thousands of volts he can take before his heart gives out. But only seconds after Yellow starts, someone whistles. Out of nowhere, Yellow is hit with a stream of blue fire. Yellow flies into the wall, clearly stunned. Steven turns his head to see who saved him. It was Soren Spessartine.

"Yellow Diamond," He says. "Consider that my letter of resignation." He runs up to Steven who gets up, on guard in case the gem does something. "Steven," Soren says, reaching out a hand. "I'm breaking us out!" Steven takes Soren's hand and without warning, Soren flips Steven onto his back. They bolt out of the bridge, racing down the prisoner halls.

"How are we getting out?" Steven asks.

"There are escape pods this way," Soren explains. "Can you run?"

"Yeah." Steven says. Soren drops him and they sprint down the hall taking a sharp turn to the right down another hall.

"This is a gem skywatcher," Soren says. "The strongest in the fleets. Six phalanges corridors, and tons of fire power. There are three in the entire home world fleet, one belonging to each Diamond in the Authority. If we can take each of them out, than the home world's grasp on Earth will lessen. And I have the force to destroy it within. But you need to escape first."

They start sprinting down a set of stairs. Steven looks at a holographic sign that says _Phalanges Corridor One- Cabins, Mess Hall, Escape Pods_. They run down the corridor through a series of doors. They run into two soldiers, each with gem destabilizers. "Halt!" One says. Soren instead opens his mouth and pulls out a red hilted katana. He blocks one of the soldier's swing, as the other tries to hammer the thing on Soren's head. The allied gem blasts the soldier away with a fireball and flips over the first soldier's back. He stabs the soldier, poofing him. They continue running.

They run into a room with a series of circular green-white pods. "These will take you to Earth," Soren says. "We don't have much time. You escape and I'll make the ship implode."

"But Soren…" Steven says, but is interrupted by a large number of soldiers running down the hall outside the room. Soren shoves Steven inside a pod and punches the pod. The pod door closes and fills up with the toothpaste looking goop. Steven, being half gem, can breathe in the stuff and watches as the door opens, with Jadeite coming through first. Steven watches as Soren leaps into action, at least until the pod shoots out of the finger. Steven falls in the pod, watching as the six fingered ship explodes in purple fire, but not before a series of pods launch away from the hand-like ship.

Steven turns the pod around to see the beach nearby, the pod about to crash. Steven braces for impact and it comes with a crash. Steven bumps on the sides of the pod, but nothing is injured. Steven could only take in what Soren had said. There are three ships, skywatchers. If they could destroy the ships, the gem armada would be much more vulnerable. But first things first, he has to get out. He taps at the inside of the pod and surprisingly, the door opens. He steps out onto the white sand, taking in the sounds of battle. Nearby, he could see his militia struggling to gain ground.

"Hey, guys," He yells. "I'm over here!" Out of nowhere then, something grabs the back of Steven's shirt, turns him around and grabs onto his throat. He sees none other than Jadeite, fury in his eyes. Steven tries to force Jadeite's hands off his throat, but his grip was too firm. Steven was running out of air.

"You little brat," Jadeite said. "You didn't think I would just let you escape that easy? I eventually would get you into my hands, and kill you with my bare hands," Steven's face turned red. He can't breathe. He has to escape. "And here you are, guaranteeing my victory," Steven's face turned blue. His vision starting to darken. "For Jasper."

"No," says a voice. "For Earth!" Steven looked past Jadeite, who removed a hand to look, to see Soren, alive. He has two fireballs cupped together, creating purple fire. Steven knew what was next. He summoned what little energy was left and summoned his bubble, suddenly able to gasp for breath. Steven looked to see Jadeite screaming in pain, his hand severed from his wrist, which was in the bubble. The purple fire engulfed the screaming and cursing Jadeite, roaring until it disappeared, leaving nothing but Jadeite's gem. Steven looked at it to find Soren's foot crushing the gem, shattering it. "Good riddance." He said, looking rather shaken.

"STEVEN!" Someone yelled. Steven, getting up with the help of Soren, looked to find Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst, the third strangely turned a dark shade of purple. They had drawn their weapons, looking murderously at Soren. Soren had furrowed his brow, summoning his sword. "Steven, stand back" Pearl yells. The three charge the home world gem, weapons drawn, but Steven gets in the way, blocking their attack.

"Don't hurt him," Steven yelled. "Yes, he's home world but he just helped me escape the ship that exploded! Guys, he's like Lapis!"

"He just killed a gem in cold blood," Pearl snarled. "I'm not taking chances!"

"I'm done taking orders from evil gems," Soren said. "This planet belongs to you. And now, I'll fight for you. Fight the people who have treated me like dirt!" He pointed to the yellow diamond on his outfit, and burned it. There is a second of tension, and then Garnet puts away her gauntlets.

"I'll trust your judgement, Steven," she says. "But if he gives even the slightest sign he's working against us, I'll put out the flame myself. Personally." They walk away to rejoin the fight.

"I trust you," Steven says. "They can't get rid of you if I don't allow it. The fight's over, let's go back to base." Steven and Soren sprint after the militia and form a retreat command, having what they came for. One victory forward in the war, and being closer to winning in the war.

 **Thanks to Dante Watterson for letting me use Soren Spessartine and helping me with the story. I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Leave constructive criticism and an opinion on what should happen next. No flaming or trolling. The next chapter will be on Monday. See you then. And happy birthday, Dante!**

 **God bless, JPLegends.**


	6. Chapter 6: Shift In Trust

**Hey guys! I've been busy over the weekend, but I'm here! And I'm also going to be uploading another chapter of Mass Effect: Awakening tomorrow. So check it out! I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but don't flame or troll. There's not really much to say so here you go read and enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER SIX: A Shift in Trust

Rose's secret armory has changed into the Militia's Headquarters. Steven has set up a memorial wall in the south area of the circular cave, which reads

 _Memorial Wall_

 _In God we trust, In Earth we protect_

 _Mayor William "Bill" Dewey_

 _Nanefua Pizza_

 _Ronaldo Fryman_

 _Vidalia Yellowtail_

Everyone was in mourning, but with war on everyone's mind, the atmosphere was very quiet. Pearl was training Beach City to be army men, using guns, weapons, and combat maneuvers. Garnet, Connie and Amethyst would take turns staying on watch. Soren was keeping track of the home world's and Earth's state of being. Currently, everywhere is dark and the economy has been reduced to an IOU. Meanwhile, the home world was crippled under the loss of a Skywatcher, but still holding strong. Although Soren's intentions were true, Steven knew they were, no one seemed to trust him. Garnet was always watching him, Pearl was always watching Steven and the humans always were armed.

Things were not all work and distrust. Buck started something with Jenny Pizza. Lars did the same with Sadie. Sour Cream and Onion got more close as brothers. And Amethyst was starting to flirt with Soren. "The way you took out Jadeite," She says to him. "So cool!" Soren wasn't really there to make friends, he was there to work. But he was extremely loyal to Steven. Steven brought these facts to Garnet, who looked pleased.

"The end of the world has a way of bringing people together," Garnet said. "We all felt that way during the first Gem War. That's how Ruby and Sapphire fused. That's how I was born. That's how you were born. The fact that there are people to fight for keeps you alive, keeps you on your feet so you can see them one more time. Who do you look to when fighting in this?"

"I think of Earth before the war," Steven said. "And what'll happen if we get that chance to see it again. But I also think of the people around me. You, Pearl, Amethyst, Dad…" He stopped his streak. He thought of one more person who kept him alive and willing while on the ship. The person who was his best friend. That's the person he thought of. "Soren has a strategy to take out the home world gems. "Swipe their feet from under them" he said. We should arrange a meeting around the center." Garnet nods, still uncertain about their new ally.

They gathered around the center in a few hours. Soren was wearing a new outfit. A black cloak with a hood, underneath was red armor, light and flexible, with a star over the heart. He had yellow gauntlets and a belt, holding gem combat gear and other gadgets. He also had black leggings and knee high combat boots. He touched something on his right gauntlet and a hologram of a Skywatcher appeared over a landmass. "We have already hit and destroyed one Skywatcher, the strongest ships in the home world fleet," He said. "This is a serious blow to the gems and increased our chance of success. Yellow Diamond has retreated from her ship, coordinates unknown, but that doesn't matter. What we need to focus on is hitting the other Skywatchers."

A blue Skywatcher appeared. "This Skywatcher, owned by Blue Diamond, is our next target, as the Supernova, White Diamond's Skywatcher, is currently in orbit. It is heavily defended by gem Longbows," small blue hands appear, being the ships. "Titan Robonoids," large Flask Robonoids appear. "And a base filled to the teeth with soldiers, ballistics and drones." And image appears of a long base. "This alone would be difficult to break in, but that's just the beginning. Ever since the first Skywatcher was shut down, gem communications have been tight around the areas. The very second we attack, the Skywatcher will send out an SOS, summoning reinforcements."

"So, how do we attack the Skywatcher then?" Jamie asks. Soren changes the photo to a three-dimensional holographic globe. With lines tracing all over the planet.

"Gem hubs run off ships," Soren says. "There is one connecting every com and another connecting to the very same hub. The destroyed Skywatcher was here," An x appears over Beach City. "And Blue Diamond's Skywatcher is here," An x appears over Philadelphia. "The hub connecting them was here," An x appears over Atlantic City. "And the hub connecting it to the other hubs is here," An x appears over Denver. He zooms in, showing a disk-like ship. "Seated below the ship is an AA gun, standard procedure for aerial attacks. We take control of that gun, we shoot down the hub. No more hub, there will be no backup to worry about. As a plus, when we take out the hub, that entire area will go dark to the home world. That will give us breathing room until they try to bring the area back online. That's the plan. Any questions?"

"How defended is the hub?" Connie asks, looking unsure of the plan. Steven didn't want to separate Connie and Soren form each other's throats, so he listened carefully.

"There is an AA gun and the base below holds a platoon of gem soldiers, with ballistic weaponry. The hub runs anytime. So, they can call for backup. The base is fairly small and approachable, so we can come close by surprise and I can activate a gem EMP. The EMP lasts for an hour, so we need to close in quickly and take out the hub with the AA gun as soon as possible."

"That's an arguably good idea, but I have another idea," Connie says. "The hub, as you said, keeps everything active. So, let's not use the EMP. We can break in with a short amount of time, and use the computers there to hack into the Titan Robonoids, making them attack the Skywatcher base. After, we use the gun to blow up the hub and then we head to the weakened base, take out what's left of the base, and take out the Skywatcher."

"That is too risky," Soren says. "If we risk them not calling backup, there is a chance they will call in the Skywatcher. If that happens, we will risk a lot of lives, leaving the mission a failure."

"We won't be risking as many lives as taking on a fortress with a gung ho attack," Connie snaps. "If we risk it, there is a chance the robonoids will leave everything empty. That will keep a lot of us alive."

"I have the foundation of a plan that will leave the base in ruins," Soren barks. "Besides, if we hack the drones, our intentions will become obvious. The Skywatcher will become aware and it may flee. Then we may never get another chance to attack them, because they will be on high alert."

"Maybe not," Connie growls. "We can hack them in a way that makes it look like a glitch. And maybe the Skywatcher won't take the hacking into account if we keep the attack discreet."

"Come on, guys," Steven says, desperately trying to calm them down. "These are good ideas, but we need to build this foundation of trust."

"How can you trust him, Steven," Connie says, enraged. "He's a home world gem! He appeared out of nowhere, telling us to trust him after he killed one of his own kind!"

"He saved my life from Yellow Diamond, Connie," Steven yells. "Why isn't that good enough for you?"

"Because he almost burned you to a crisp," Connie barks back. "For all I know he could have missed you and hit Jadeite instead!"

"I didn't miss," Soren says in a deathly whisper. "I was aiming for Jadeite."

"Can it, Spasamtea!" Connie barks.

"SPESSARTINE," Soren roars. "SOREN SPESSARTINE! AND DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, HUMAN!"

"I HAVE A NAME! IT'S CONNIE MAHESWARAN! AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE ORDERS THAN YOU CAN…"

"QUIET," Steven roars, gaining their attention. "Connie, I trust you because I know you! Soren, I trust you because you saved my life! But if your trust shifts because of me, and whether or not I should trust you at all, then we're going to lose our planet because we fell apart from the inside! Now, I'm making the decision and going with it! Because, Connie I can trust you to get the job done and think everything out! Soren, I can trust you know their move before they do it and you know where to hit them and where to not! But as of now, I can only choose one plan!"

 **So readers, who do you trust more? Soren Spessartine or Connie Maheswaran? I've explained the plans, advantages, weaknesses and reasons. But only you can decide. See you on Wednesday.**

 **God bless, JPLegends.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Gem Communications Hub

**Hey guys! Just to let you know, I'm going to be busy over the next few months. I'll be trying to update the account as much as I can, but it will not be all that frequent. So, you guys choose Connie's plan over Soren's. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Feel free to leave any constructive criticism and a vote for a decision at the end, but don't flame or troll. Read and enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER SEVEN: The Gem Communications Hub

Steven and the militia were riding to the hub in Denver, using discreet warp pad path ways. The time in the gem APCs were quiet and tense. Steven could feel the thick atmosphere in the air as the vehicles were riding in stealth mode, avoiding any checkpoints, and demilitarized zones. It was especially tense between Soren and Connie. Eventually, Soren asked "Why take the human's decision, Steven? It's not well thought out and has a slim chance at succeeding."

"The human's name is Connie, Soren," Steven says, trying to keep loyal to Connie. "But Connie is right on the fact that heading into a thick military base is suicide. I want both of you to know that having you both is…"

"A coup," Connie interrupts. "Garnet told me." She did not seem all that friendly to Soren at all. Not a lot of people do.

"I'm here to fight in your army," Soren says. "But strategy is needed to make good plans."

"Guys," Steven begs. "Don't fight! We start fighting each other, we've already lost. I care for both of you. Don't you to make me proud in this?" Soren and Connie looked away, clearly ashamed. Soren seemed to be looking at Connie with interest. Steven looked at her, and she had turned red. Steven looked away, knowing what he said was right. But Connie might care for him in the same way he did. Maybe there is a chance that Soren knows. He seems to be reading her. Like a book.

"We're approaching the hub," says Greg's voice over the intercom. "Take a look at this." A hologram pops up, showing a massive green disk-shaped ship. Below it is a small base with a flag with a blue diamond, and behind it is a massive cannon. It looks somewhat like Rose's laser light cannon, but green, crystalized and massive, with a platform encircling it. Steven presses a button on the screen, and it changes to a picture of Buck, who is wearing a blue helmet, visor and mouthpiece not yet activated.

"Buck, I need you and the other militia members to storm the building, and take out as many gems as you can," Steven says. "You need to buy us time and a distraction for my team to get to the gun. Can you do that? Are you ready?"

"We're pumped and ready, Steven," Buck says, in his usual nonchalant voice. "Let's hope Pearl's training paid off. Earth forever," a large number of militia yell the last sentence with vigor. "See you on the other side!" The video switches off and Steven turns to his team: Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Soren and Connie. He nods. The others nod back. Soren looks at Connie, who's flushed cheeks disappeared. She turned her head. Soren looks at the door, ready for battle. Then, the APC stops.

"Weapons." Steven says. The team summons their weapons, and the doors open. They charge out onto the field. Steven looks to his sides, militia running with guns drawn, wearing gem armor with stars: the Crystal Gem insignia. Steven slows his running as the militia runs to the building. Half break down the door as others grapnel to the roof. Just as Pearl had taught them, storm from all sides. Lasers and gun fire started and Steven's team sprinted around the building. The radio on Steven's belt was shouting names and orders. Their attack was going well, as the militia was being pushed from all sides. Steven was constantly hearing

"Gem poofed, moving in to shatter." Steven even heard "Onion poofed three gems at once! Go Onion!" Steven was proud. They sprinted around the corner and ran into three gem soldiers. One opened fire, shooting Connie in the leg.

"Ahhhh!" She yelled. Steven summoned his shield to cover her, as Soren leapt into the air and started slashing at the gems, poofing and then with Garnet, shattering them. "My leg." Connie cried. Steven made his shield disappear and looked at her leg. Her calf, the shot area, was smoking.

"Her bones are burned down to the marrow," Soren said, solemnly. "She needs to be taken off the field." Steven shook his head. He had the ability to heal with his spit. He lost it but he couldn't risk Connie not being in the fight at all. He took his hand and licked it, his palm soaked with his spit. He closed his eyes, begging in his head for it to work, and gently pressed his hand onto her calf. After a few seconds, he took the hand off and looked. The calf was no longer smoking, and the wound was gone. He got his healing power back. He sighed in relief and in embarrassment. 'Did I really just do that?' he asked in his head. Garnet and Pearl picked Connie up, and she was able to stand. Pearl looked at him with astonishment.

"How did you know that would work?" Pearl asked. Steven shrugged at a loss for words. Soren, understanding how desperate Steven was for this to be over, charged off. The team followed, asking no more questions. They got on the nearby elevator, and taking it to the platform. Then, Steven's radio went off.

"Team A, this is Team B," Mr. Maheswaran said. "We've captured the base. We're keeping track of everything right now. What's your status?"

"This is Team A," Steven said into the radio. "We're taking the elevator to the AA gun. Connie took a round in the leg, but she's fine? Healed actually. Good as new."

"Great, first her eyes, now her leg," Mr. Maheswaran says. "Hope it wasn't backwash this time. Can you hack the drones from there?"

"According to Soren, the console here controls everything at the other base," Steven replies. "He'll be making the Robonoids go haywire on the base, as me and the others use the gun to take out the hub."

"Great we'll rendezvous at your location," Mr. Maheswaran says. "See you there." Steven put the radio back on his belt and realized he turned sixteen. He willed youthful thoughts into his head to make him ten again. He hadn't realized how much older he felt while fighting in this stupid war. The elevator arrived at the top, and the team ran for different consoles. Pearl put her hands in a panel, data running through her eyes. Soren, meanwhile, was typing away at another console.

"Data uploaded," Soren muttered. "Data decrypting. I'm in control of the Titan Robonoids. Now to… there. Look." Soren pressed something on his gauntlet and a video of the robonoids causing chaos appeared. They were poofing and shattering soldiers, destroying equipment and setting fire to the base. Connie's plan seemed to be working fairly well. And then, Peridot ran in, planted something on the floor, and a shockwave went through the base. The video went off, and Steven face palmed.

"I forgot about that." He muttered. Now the gems knew what they were doing, and to make it better an image of Yellow Diamond appeared on Soren's gauntlet.

"You think I didn't know Soren would suggest going after the Skywatchers," She said, calm yet furious. "Here's news for you. We will win Earth. And to make things more interesting, Blue Diamond's Skywatcher is on its way. With Obsidian and an army of soldiers. Have fun." Yellow Diamond disappeared, leaving the team rattled. Steven inhaled deeply then turned to Pearl.

"We need that hub destroyed," He said. "ASAP." Pearl nodded. The AA gun started turning.

"We don't have time," Garnet says. "The gun won't destroy the Skywatcher. And we don't have time to take out the hub. We're too weak to take on the army and Obsidian. We need to evacuate."

"We came too far," Soren said. "The plan to take over the Robonoids was a bust, but we can still destroy the hub. The army needs to buy us time. And I still have our EMP. I can only use it once, but it will blind them."

"Whatever you're gonna do," Amethyst says, pointing in the distance. "Do it fast." They look to see the blue Skywatcher, slowly flying toward the base.

"We stay, we die," Garnet says. "We need to get moving now!"

"The militia is more than capable," Soren says. "They just need to stay back and keep them away."

"There's a good chance we could die while running away," Connie said. "God, this is all my fault. I'm going to get us killed."

"Steven, what do we do," Soren asks. "You're our commander."

Steven looked at the impending death. If they run, they could die. If they stay, they could die. This was all a chance of destroying the hub. He took a deep breath then said "We fight. Who's going to lead the militia?" Pearl and Soren stand forward. Steven has to choose which will lead.

 **And by Steven, I mean you. Who will lead the militia into battle? Pearl or Soren? I'll leave this up to your best judgement. But be warned, be it one character or another, a character WILL die! So choose wisely. See you when I upload the next chapter.**

 **God bless, JPLegends.**


	8. Chapter 8: For Earth

**I'm still super busy with stuff, and I'm still not going to be here very much until probably next year. But I'll still update this. So, Soren will be strategizing the army today. Anyway, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Feel free to leave a review, constructive criticism, and go wild with the trolling. It gives me purpose to continue, to impress you. So read and enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER EIGHT: For the Fight and For Earth

"Soren, take my radio," Steven says, handing his radio to the gem. "Keep them back. Please." Soren nods and vaults over the railing, his coat swaying in the wind. Steven turns to Pearl, and looks at her, begging her eyes. "Pearl," Steven says. "Operate that gun in firing that position. Please!" Pearl bites her lip, but rather than say anything, she runs to the holopad, focusing intently as the computer runs through her brain. Steven looks over the railing, as the Skywatcher gets dangerously close. Soren is in the elevator down there, radioing the militia to take positions.

The humans raise their guns under Soren's command. "Keep your weapons trained on the phalanges. The troops and weapons come out of there." Steven watches as the Skywatcher closes its hand, pointing at the gun. Soren taps on his gauntlet, and a blue laser bolts straight for the hand. As it hits, the ship changes its pitch, pointing at the ground. Steven knew this was a concentrated EMP. It was cool. Then, the ship fires a green laser as Soren yells "DIVE! OUT OF THE WAY!" The beam hits the ground, decimating the rocky ground and hitting some of the platform. The area shakes, and Steven struggles to not go flying over the edge.

"Soren? Soren," Connie says into the radio. "No answer! The radio has to be gone!"

"Gems," Garnet says, summoning her gauntlets. "Protect Pearl!"

Steven watches as Soren barks inaudible orders, as the militia stagger to their feet and begin firing on pods dropping from the sky, some exploding. The others land on the ground, starting a large firefight, with Soren fighting as well as commanding. Steven watches as another pod makes contact with the gun. Steven gasps with horror as Garnet yells "It's Obsidian!" Steven looks at the pod, now gone, as Obsidian begins dismantling the gun by tearing off the outer pieces.

"Pearl, move the gun!" Amethyst yells. Pearl sweats, struggling to find something. Then, the gun shudders and Obsidian falls to the other side of the railing.

"Crystal Gems," Garnet shouts. "Attack Obsidian!" Steven, Garnet, Amethyst and Connie run to Obsidian as Pearl slowly begins turning the gun. Obsidian gets up and looks at them on the other side of the gun. Obsidian growls and summons his trident, looking menacing.

"Idiots," He says. "I defeated you three, and you," He points at Connie. "I saw you in battle. Unfortunately, I can map out your weaknesses like the back of my hand." Steven grimaces. He doesn't need to be reminded about Obsidian's backhand making contact with his friend. "I'll kill you all," He continues. "And destroy the gun. AND MAKE SURE HUMANITY DOESN'T SEE THEIR PLANET AGAIN!" Obsidian charges at Connie, who he happened to map out as the weakest. But Garnet stepped in the way and punches him in the solar plexus.

Obsidian wheezes, but grabs Garnet's hand and judo flips her over his shoulder, sending her crashing into the platform floor. Amethyst takes this as an advantage to wrap her whip around Obsidian's hand to stop him from beating Garnet. He instead pulls her forward, and she collides with the gun. Steven and Connie charge, Connie trying to slash at Obsidian, but being deflected. "You whelp," He taunts. "You're kind will never defeat me! You're only human!" Steven leaps off of Connie's shoulder, bashing his shield against the gem's head.

"I'm only half human!" Steven yells as Obsidian is knocked back, sticking out his tongue. Garnet follows this by jabbing him in the cheek, and Amethyst kicks him straight in the nose. They all start attacking at once, Obsidian catching on quickly and deflecting every attack. They manage to keep in a stale mate as the gun turns, half way to its destination. Obsidian manages to turn the tables when he deflects Garnet's hook with his trident, and kicks her over the edge. He then manages to grab Amethyst in mid-air and slams her into the ground. Steven and Connie try to leap on to Obsidian's back, but are swatted away. Steven had the wind knocked out of him and could only see the gem running for Pearl.

"No!" Someone yells. Steven leaps to his feet, and sees as Amethyst and Connie does the same. They run to Pearl just in time to see Obsidian pull Pearl out of the way and smash the console. Steven could only watch as their victory disappeared. Obsidian then starts running for Steven, but Amethyst leaps in the way.

"No!" She yells as she is punched in the gut and sent flying into Steven. They could only watch as Connie tries to help Pearl up and Obsidian looms in. Then, out of nowhere, Soren flies in and kicks Obsidian into the railing, pulling out swords. He dodges Obsidian's strikes, while serving some of his own. Steven manages to hear,

"A console on the other side! It also controls the gun! Quickly!" Soren leaps on Obsidian's arm and kicks him over the railing. Amethyst and Pearl run to the other side of the platform as Steven looks at the battle below. Garnet is pulling punches and the militia is staying in cover and shooting when they can. Meanwhile, Soren and Obsidian are fighting, Soren dodging bullets and lasers. He looks worn out.

"He needs help!" Steven yells. Connie nods and they leap over the railing, landing on hard ground. He sees Soren dodging the trident stabs, Steven summons a shield and throws it at Obsidian's head, which pushes him back. Soren uses this to acrobatically flip over to Steven and Connie, catching his breath. He looks at Steven, spitefully.

"What are you doing?" He says.

"Providing backup," Connie says. "No one fights alone."

"Then, fight fast," Soren says. "I can't beat him with only Garnet for cover fire." He turns his attention to Obsidian, who is now charging at them. They dive out of the way, and take positions around the gem. Steven in front, Connie to left, Soren to right, and the militia who have quickly turned their attention to fighting valiantly. They each charge, Obsidian having no idea what to do now. Then it all happens so quickly.

Connie slashes at the back of Obsidian's knee, causing him to kneel. Steven takes this opportunity to leap and bash his face with his shield, knocking Obsidian off balance backwards. Soren follows this with slashing at Obsidian's back, causing the warrior to go forward. Connie is now in front, about to stab at Obsidian's gem. The gem instead catches the ground with his hand and flips behind her. He prepares to stab her with his trident, but Steven slides between her legs and raises his shield, blocking the attack. Connie follows this by leaping onto the shield, and leaping again, striking at the gem's head. Soren follows this by slashing at the abdomen, and ending up behind him. Connie jumps off of Obsidian's shoulders, Soren leaps into the air. Together, they come down and slash at Obsidian. And right on contact there is a massive **BOOM**.

Steven turns around to see the gun having fired on the hub. A few seconds later, the hub explodes with a **KRAK-ISH** and a shockwave, its pieces coming down. "NOOOO!" Obsidian yells. Pearl and Amethyst leap off the platform and onto the ground, charging into the firefight now that their task is done. Steven looks up at the Skywatcher, which was slowly recovering from Soren's EMP. It was now pointing at the gun and it fired a massive laser which made the gun explode. The shock sent Steven, Connie, Soren and everything else back. The ringing in Steven's ears was intense and he could only watch as the ship turned its hand lower. His hearing came back just in time to hear Garnet yell one command.

"CRYSTAL GEM MILITIA," She shouted. "RETREAT!" Steven got the hint and started running through the firefight. His soldiers were retreating, returning fire and covering for others as gem soldiers attacked them. Explosions inhabited the field now, only as they were running to the nearby APCs. Steven looked around him. The gems and Connie were running all around him and the militia was both firing and running. Steven and his team got on the command APC and got as many militia on as possible. The door closed and a screen showing the battle popped up. Militia were entering APCs and only one was returning fire covering.

Buck Dewy.

"I've got an enemy radio," Soren said. "Patching in now." Steven listened as Yellow Diamond's calm voice said one thing.

"Kill them."

"Buck," Steven said into his radio. "Get on the vehicle. Buck!" Buck was only covering fire as other militia got on the APCs. He ran out of bullets in his SMG so he switched to his pistol. That quickly ran out of ammo, so he switched to his gem destabilizer. He downed many as the APCs were taking in militia. He was making sure they didn't get near the vehicles. He heard Buck say one thing.

"For Earth."

Buck was quickly surrounded and was being beaten by gems. The APCs were filled. Then, the Skywatcher's laser hit the group of soldiers. With Buck inside. "DRIVE!" Soren yelled at Greg. The command APC sped away, leaving the base behind and Buck. Steven just stared at the feed, which then disappeared and was replaced by silence. Connie patted him on the back, but it did not help. Steven felt many things. Sadness. Greif. Anger. He turned and looked at Soren.

"Patch me into Yellow Diamond," Steven said. "Now." Soren nodded and tapped at the gauntlet. A hologram of Yellow popped up. And she looked utterly surprised.

"You're supposed to be dead." She said.

"Guess your soldiers died for nothing." Steven said.

"Guess your man died for nothing." Yellow replied.

"Guess again," Steven barked. "You lost. All you need to do is look down. We wiped North America off your map, and now the world is next. And mark my words, I will go after every hub, every Skywatcher, every Diamond until your forces leave our planet. I'm warning you, leave. Before I go after you. Buck Dewy died for Earth and I'm going to live up to his promise." He snaps his fingers and Soren makes the hologram disappear. Steven didn't care what happened next. He just needed to make sure victory happened. Make Buck Dewy's sacrifice mean something.

 **Buck died for humanity. And Steven will live up to his promise. So, what happens next? Review what you think, and don't be afraid to be on the Home World's side. For Earth. See you whenever.**

 **God bless, JPLegends.**


	9. Chapter 9: The New Battle Plan

**I'm so busy. But I'm still writing. Because I love you guys! Me and Dante, both of us, we want to give you this content! So anyway, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Feel free to leave constructive criticism and please, flame and troll. Your anger gives me strength. It also gives me depression but hey, screw me right?! Joking. Chillax. Read and enjoy please.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER NINE: The Next Step Forward

The armory did give the militia time to rest for a few weeks, to rest, explore and heal. Steven was helping Dr. Maheswaran tend to the wounded; Connie, Garnet and Pearl explored the cave systems and found a summit were people can look into the horizon and Soren, meanwhile, was planning out their next attack in a personal room. Soren was looking at a holographic map, looking and gem strongpoints and last areas in the US where the gems populated. He couldn't see anything that could give them a foothold, and saw a long lasting, continuing shockwave

"Hey, Mr. hardcore," Amethyst says behind Soren. "What are you doing? She jumped up on his shoulders, and sat there. Soren, trained to his body's peak, took the additional weight easily, and did not move at all. He looked up. Her face was flushed dark purple. Soren didn't take this into account.

"Strategizing," He says. "Finding a new plan."

"That's your strong suit, eh?" Amethyst asks.

"As yours is brutality," Soren says. "You are a capable warrior."

"Aww, thanks," Amethyst says, ruffling up Soren's hair. "You too. So, what are you looking at?"

"The American map," Soren says. "A large group of warships has diverted to the Skywatcher's location. As for other areas, gem checkpoints are under guard and other ships are just… wandering aimlessly. Around the shockwave location." Soren didn't want to share this information, but Steven says to trust his allies with information. So, he does. For him.

Amethyst leans forward and says "That ain't a shockwave." Soren zooms in to the shockwave area. There seems to be a large area where it is pulsing from. A temperate rainforest. He scans the area multiple times, eventually finding the source a mile wide, labeled 109.670. There is a waveform in the area. The shockwave isn't a shockwave. It's a radio message. He decrypts the transmission and listens to a girl's voice.

"Someone, anyone," She says. "Aliens attacked our neighborhood, drove us into the nearby forest. They're searching for us! I can see lights! Someone, hurry! Please!" The audio cuts short, leaving Soren and Amethyst staring at the hologram.

"Amethyst, you are a genius," Soren shouts and she leaps off his shoulders. "The transmission… we can still save them. It's a mile long! We need to brief the militia on this!" Soren kneels down to hug Amethyst, who turns purple. Soren runs out the room, as Amethyst mutters something.

A few hours later, they gather in the same place they did last time. Soren looked over at the memorial wall. There was a new named etched in it. Buck Dewy's name. He turned at the crowd and tapped his gauntlet. A hologram of a rainforest appeared, and a box that signifies a mile is placed in the center. "A few hours ago, we received message from this area," Soren said. "Large and inaccurate but accurate." He types on the gauntlet and plays the message. "Gem computers picked up this signal, but because their hub is gone, they can't get an accurate location. As a result, they sent out a platoon of ships to investigate the area," Red dots appear on the map, surrounding the square. "Every minute they get a little bit closer. But either way, we need them out of there. If gems find lost prisoners, they'll kill them on the spot. No questions asked.

"We need more people in the militia, all of you. This could be what we need for more recruits. So, here's the plan. One team needs to head into the forest and scour the area for the survivors. Another team needs to distract the ships long enough so Team One can find them. Then, we high tail it out of there. Team one will be the less astute members of the militia. So it will be Me, Amethyst and half of the militia members. Team Two needs more strong members, so Garnet, Pearl and the other half of the militia. Any questions?" Connie raises her hand.

"What about me and Steven?" She asks.

"You two are a special case," Soren says. "You are strong combatants, but not all that strong. You could be used to hold back the gems significantly. But Steven, you're a natural born speaker. You stand much more of a chance of persuading the survivors that our group of gems aren't hostile. Either way it's up to you."

 **It is up to you. Should Steven and Connie go with Soren's group or Garnet's group? It's your choice. Now, submit. I'll see you whenever I have time.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	10. Chapter 10: Soren's Battalion

**Sunday fun day! I still am tired but I'm still trying my best to release these as best as I can. Anyway, you guys really love Soren. So, Steven and Connie are going to go with Group One. Anyway, this will mark the explanation of Steven's personality change you will get to see Stevonnie in a few chapters!** **Same as always, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Leave constructive criticism, and feel free to leave your opinion as well. I also don't own Batman. I will be mentioning it.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER TEN: Soren's Battalion

"Keep Steven safe, Soren." Garnet says over the holographic communication device. Soren was starting in a warp pad in the forest with Steven, Connie, Lion and Amethyst.

"I will," Soren says. "And don't give too much away. Less is more." Garnet nods and the hologram disappears. The gem looks at them and asks "Do you have what you need?"

"Yeah," Connie says. "Lion's mane is packed with bottles of water and food supplies. Where's the radio transmission from?" Soren taps a button on his gauntlet and pulls up a map of the rain forest. The transmission was about six miles west. He shows them and they begin walking to the area. Soren constantly looks overhead to see any gem warships scanning the area with searchlights that pick up body signatures. If they are in the open and the searchlights spot them, they will be gunned down.

They have been walking for a few hours when Soren asks "Why would you and your human companions join such a fight. It means death for your species?" This question was directed at Connie.

"They want their home back," Connie says. "They want Earth back for good."

"But why," Soren asks, still confused. "They wish to die martyrs? Heroes?"

"Not all humans want to be martyrs," Connie says. "Some still have big hearts though. They help people even if not for fame or recognition. Like when Adam West was a chef for the victims of Nine Eleven. Or when Christian Bale visited the victims of the Aurora shooting. You have heard of that, right?"

Soren has heard of both. The actors of heroes showing a bold heart. He still had much to learn about the planet. Then, he saw a warship above them, a searchlight scanning the area above. It was moving toward the transmission. The ship turned around and the searchlight was headed toward them. Soren, with a quick movement of his hand, signaled for the militia and his friends to take cover. They did as the area around them was engulfed with green light. "Team Two," Soren says in his earpiece. "That warship is too close!"

Soren saw with horror as a huge gem fusion with a hammer leaped in the air, and smacked the ship. The giant hand exploded. "No," Soren said. "Now, they'll be everywhere! We need to move!" The group sprinted for the direction of the transmission. In a few minutes, there was a number of warships in the area. Steven ordered the militia to support Team Two as they avoided hot areas. Soon, they were on top of the area where the transmission was broadcast. Only half a mile left. Soren sprinted forward, but all of the sudden his foot got caught in something. He looked around swiftly to see a booby-trap, with clumsily hidden TNT. Soren spread out his hands and managed to keep the explosion controlled. But it was still an explosion. And the fire set off a beacon.

Soren looked to see Steven, Connie, Amethyst and Lion in Steven's bubble shield. "Put out the fires!" Connie shouted. Soren tried patting out the flames but they were just too hot. There was no chance. He looked to see a group of people with makeshift guns. Soren knew these were the survivors. He turned toward them, and stopped suddenly when they all pointed their guns at him.

"Don't move!" One yelled. Soren looked around at Steven who saw the situation form in front of his eyes. He bolted in front of Soren and looked at the group calmly. "Relax, I'm human," Steven said. "She's human too. I'm Steven. She's Connie. These are Amethyst and Soren Spessartine. I know you're tense and scared but we mean no harm. You sent out an SOS, right?"

"Yes, we did," One said. "But we have no reason to trust you. Not if you're with them!"

"Listen," Steven said again. "We're here to rescue you. These aliens mean no harm to you."

"Yes, they do," said a girl. "They just alerted those hands up there where we are!"

"You're the one who set up the explosive trap," Soren said. "Counter-effective in every way."

"Shut up!" The girl snarled.

"Then, how can you explain the hand that exploded?" Steven asked. The survivors lowered their guns a little.

"We can argue about this later," Soren says, pointing at the nearby warships. "The fire just beaconed where we are. We need to get moving!" And right on cue, four soldiers fall to the ground. Soren turns to see the soldiers. They look the same but, the area where the armor plates meet have a foamy material in them. The gem is in the open and also covered in the foam material. They draw assault rifles and hold the group at gunpoint.

"Team Omega Six to Warships," One says. "We've found Steven Universe's team." Soren looks at them. They know where the survivors are now. He can probably hit them all in one quick effort. He looks at Steven, who nods. He then flicks his wrist causing a pellet to fall from the gauntlet and have a cloud of smoke surround them. He looks to see Steven standing there, quickly summoning his giga-shield. Soren then pulls out two swords from the gem on his tongue's web. He leaps at the soldier at the center, kicking him to the floor and ramming his swords into the gem. But Soren suddenly realizes that his blades shattered. He sees the gem coated in a crystalline substance, and something on the gauntlet turned red.

Before anything else could happen, Soren found the soldier's legs on his stomach. And then he went flying into a tree with such force, that the tree was uprooted and knocked to the ground. Soren can only look as Steven's shield is taking impact, and he starts taking damage. Soren manages to get himself up and picks up the tree. He swings the tree around and slams it into the other three soldiers. "Steven," Soren yells. "Protect the survivors!" Steven makes his shield disappear and runs away with the survivors. Soren looks at the tree a few yards away. The gems now have armor that can harden where kinetic impact was presented, absorb the impact and dish out the same amount of energy. He hears footsteps a little away.

Soren dives in the way of the gem soldier's path, kicking at the head and cracking the visor. The soldier takes off the helmet revealing a blue face with dark purple eyes and light blue hair tied in a ponytail. Soren knew who this was, and he wasn't happy. This was Aquamarine, Soren's former lover. They met in the military, signing up to be top soldiers. They took a liking for each other, and Soren was going to ask her to fuse with him. He was that serious. But she rejected him because the military came first, as for Soren, life came first. To hide the despair, he buried himself in work. When he ran out of work, he studied other races.

And thus, he became a part of Steven Universe's army. And here they are, on opposite sides. "Aqua," Soren said, stunned. "You're fighting Earth?" She lowered her head, looking at him furiously.

"Why Soren," She asked. "Why fight for these humans? You could have been such an amazing gem! And here you are."

"Here we are," Soren said. "We would probably be on the same sides if you hadn't rejected me!" Aqua looked up. There was a look in her eyes. Regret, misery. She was sad.

"We can start over, Soren," She says, content. "We don't have to hurt each other! I regret what I said, I wanted to be back with you! I still want to! Please, I don't want to fight!"

"I can't be with you," Soren says. "I don't regret what I did. Do you?"

"Yes!"

"Do you really?"

Silence. Aqua lowers her head, frowning. "No."

Soren pulls out a sword and gets in a fighting position. "In that case, my love, one last dance." Aqua stands in a fighting stance, and says something that gives Soren energy.

"I never loved you truly anyway." And with that they charge at each other.

 **This is a bit of a plot device, but it will help in the long run. Trust me. So, whos perspective do you want to see next? Steven's or Soren's. With Steven's you will see his turmoil and there will be an epic battle! With Soren, he will battle his long lost lover to the death! Put what you think below, and even you think should happen. Now start the E-mails my children!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	11. Chapter 11: Soren vs Aquamarine

**It feels good to be back on the keyboard! So, it was a close one, but Soren's side won. You guys must really like Soren, and I'm okay with that! Anyway, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideals, ect. Please, leave a comment on my mistakes. And thus, here is chapter eleven. And chapter ten of Mass Effect: Awakening will come tomorrow. I'm sorry.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Soren vs. Aquamarine

Soren had no idea what had happened in the first few seconds. He was swinging his sword at the female gem, whose armor was so undistinguished she could have been mistaken for a man. Aquamarine, meanwhile, was blocking the sword strikes quickly, her gauntlets hardening with every strike. Soren could only precisely count the number of swings she blocked. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Then, Aqua burst out her right hand, shoving the sword out of the way and opening up Soren's stance. She then leaped into the air and roundhouse kicked Soren in his solar plexus.

The allied gem went flying into a nearby tree, losing his sword, and making a crack in the bark. Soren was winded, shocked at the amount of force she just delivered. It was the collected amount of force he used swinging his sword. He looked at her angrily, and saw her coming in with a gem destabilizer active. Soren rushed forward, summoning two more blades. He deflected her destabilizer with his sword, trying to swipe at her wildly. She deflected each attack with her gauntlets, and seemed to be counting. After another eight hits, she dropped to the floor and thrust her foot out. The kick landed straight on Soren's stomach and he went flying into the air.

He was soaring high in the air until his back hit another tall tree. This time the tree was flown off its roots, tipping over and onto the ground. Soren realized his blades were gone again and summoned two more. Aqua appeared to also have a pistol now, and was aiming for Soren. She fired walking forward. Sore leaped to his feet, and walked forward, swinging his blades in circles so that the lasers were deflected off his blades. While walking, he knew that his attacks were placing force at one place at a time. He needs to be applying force in two places at once. They got close enough so that Soren could drop low and get up close.

He used his hilt to send the gun flying, and then braced for another attack. Aqua stepped forward and tried to thrust her destabilizer into Soren's chest. Soren stepped back and placed his blade in the area of the destabilizer where the yellow anti-gem energy ran through. With a flick of his wrist, he snapped the sword-like object in two. Aqua, clearly not expecting this, did not stop Soren from grabbing her arm and maneuvering behind her. He flexed her arm behind her back, applying pressure to the joint so the area snaps. The joint, in response, hardens. Soren then sticks his blade into an open area on the back, causing it to harden as well. "Aqua, I don't think your army will win," Soren says. "You've lost too much. You said you love me, you said you regretted not fusing with me! If you love me then you will help us!"

"I'd rather die than love you," Aqua snarled. "I never did love you! You're weak about _me_! So, just die!" Soren looks at her gauntlet. A bar is red, with a light beeping nearby. He narrowly dodges a kick, letting go of her. He stumbles backwards, sloppily had used reflexes to save himself. He backs into a tree and looks at Aqua. Her armor is producing white smoke, a desperate look in her eye. Soren grinned. There is only so much energy the armor can take until it overheats. Aqua then charges at Soren, her fist raised. She punches at him, but he dodges and she hits the tree instead. Soren follows this up with a brutal move. He trips her legs, leaving her in the air, then grabs her throat and slams her into the ground.

He follows this up with picking her up and throwing her a few meters away. Then, he leaps on top of her and throws a fire ball at her armor. He picks her up by the neck, a fierce grip. She holds onto his arm, her armor smoking profusely now. She then says "Do your worst."

Soren does just that. He shoots an enormous stream of fire at her armor for forty seconds, shrill screams blocked out by the roaring flame. Soren then drops her, and sees her struggling to get her armor off. It is now as hot as molten metal, which it basically is now. She rips herself out of the suit, leaving her in a skin tight body suit. Soren takes this advantage to summon his sword, come up behind her, and thrust into back. He looks over her shoulder to see her gem in pieces. Her body explodes in smoke, leaving only her shattered gem.

Soren takes a hard look at the pieces. The former gem of his lover. His _ex_ -lover. "I chose the right side." He says, before spitting on the ground. He can hold in his remorse for a gem that never loved him the same way. Right now, there are probably to dozen soldiers wearing the same armor attacking Steven and his group of survivors. He makes his sword disappear and runs off to the sounds of screams and gunfire.

 **Chrono Trigger or Marching Band. Next weekend, I will make a fanfic of whichever you chose. For Chrono Trigger, probably something sappy between Crono and Marle. I can't help it. See you around.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	12. Chapter 12: Uncertain Situations

**I'm not able to keep promises apparently. The ME: A chapter should come out around Friday, but if I don't, Dante Watterson, make sure to remind me! My memory is not working all that well. Anyway, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Please read. And after Mass Effect: Awakening is done, I'll do my own take on the game 'Destiny'. See you then.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER TWELVE: Uncertain Situations

Steven, Connie and Amethyst rode on Lion's back, rushing in the general direction of the survivors. They found themselves in a camp, with little tents and all together, about thirty people. Steven hoped desperately that Soren was going to be okay. But he can't focus on that now. He yelled out "Take cover! Hide! The gems'll be here soon! I and my militia will hold them back!" The group of men, women and children ran into a little cave system, as the militia tipped over logs and took cover behind them. Steven and Connie stood guard in front, ready for the attack.

Then, a platoon of gem soldiers came in, all holding assault rifles. Steven thought about Greg and Connie, pinned down at the crushed van. And then he summoned his massive shield. The gems fired at different times, so there was a constant stream of lasers hurling right into Steven's shield. The militia fired back, but Steven could see the lasers bouncing off the armor like nothing. Connie's sword could do nothing and Lion's roar could only hold them back. This kept up for twenty minutes, until Steven was on one knee, trying his best to keep the shield up.

'I have to protect them,' Steven says in his head. 'I have no time to die here.' Steven eventually closes his eyes, his shield disappearing. He collapsed, lying on the floor. Then everything sounded off. He blacked out. There were only a few short clips of what came next…

Connie running toward him and picking him up…

The militia attacked by Titan Robonoids and battle suits as he was dragged away…

An explosion knocking most of the militia back…

"STEVEN," He heard again. "Steven! Steven!" He woke up to see Connie in front of him, his back propped against the wall. He saw the survivors a little bit back. They were in the cave.

"What happened?" Steven asked, desperate for what happened.

"You blacked out," Connie said, tears welling in her eyes. "Everything went to chaos. The militia's getting creamed and they…" Steven looked around. There are currently ten militia soldiers in the room, lying in a row. There are three more, knocked out and bleeding. Two of the three are Connie's parents. Steven swore. An ugly swear word he had never used in his life. He started sobbing on the spot. The gems just turned a war for their home into an unwinnable slaughtering ground.

"Steven," Connie said. "The rest of the soldiers are holding their own at the entrance. We need to form Stevonnie." Steven took in what she said. Fusion was trusting someone with your being. Your body, your skills and your mind. Steven's mind hasn't been well since the attack. And he feared for her well-being massively. But given the circumstances, they had no choice. He got up, everything aching. And then, he held out his hand.

The only times he ever fused were of immense joy. He was surprised they were able to fuse at all. In one blinding light, Steven had a taller body. But nothing was happening. He didn't want Connie to see. Thus, the fusion didn't work. He fought hard against Connie's reason, even after the body blacked out. He fought and fought, but Connie broke through his barriers. And he saw everything.

The invasion. The death. The cities. Everything bad that has ever happened in this stupid war. And after, he saw Connie. She was looking at him, with an unreadable expression. With shock, remorse, rage and sorrow all at once. Steven's life had changed. It had him turn into a brooding hero that he wanted to be. The hero that fought until everything was kicked out of him. And he wanted that kick at the right time in the right place.

In short, he wanted to be a martyr. He wanted to die saving Earth. Prove himself to be the hero his mother was. But through Connie's gaze and thoughts, he realized what he was doing was suicidal. He wasn't his mother, he could never change that. And he knew one thing that synced with Connie.

 _Your martyr fantasy only ends one way_.

With his death. But even though he wanted that fantasy, he isn't that person. He could never be that hero. And then, his thoughts reverted back to what Garnet said long ago. Before everything started.

" _You'll figure out how. In your own Steveny way."_

And with that, Steven smiled. He smiled with every content. Steven is back. And he's here to stay.

And then, they wake up. In the new body, ready to kick some booty.

 **AWWWWWW SNAP! STEVONNIE UP IN THE BISNITCH! Stay to see the epic battle between the gem platoon and Stevonnie. And if you want Soren to reappear, say so. Also, Chrono Trigger or Marching Band. And also, tell me if you're hyped for Destiny, my version! See you then!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	13. Chapter 13: Fusion

**I want to get this out. OHMAGAHSTEVENANCONNIEFUSEOHMAGAHSTEVONNIE! There. Now, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have anything to say, leave a review. And tell me how you think the story should go! And don't forget to give Dante Watterson some love. I could not have gotten this far without him. Now, let's get back to work. Enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Fusion

Stevonnie had taken her first breath, and looked down at her attire. A red jumpsuit. Complete with a bandana. She smiled and said immediately. "This is going to be fun!" She runs out of the cave and into the battlefield. Part of her was in awe that she could jump this high, and do this much acrobatics. The body jumped from a rock hosted as cover, then off a Titan Robonoid and in the middle of the battle field. Three soldiers in front of her. With a quick roundhouse kick, all three are sent to the ground. Then, a fourth soldier leaps up with a destabilizer.

 _Look out!_ Says a voice. Stevonnie turns in response and blocks the sword. "I'm not your average human." She says. Then, a kick to the knee cap, followed by a hand to the neck and smashing down to the ground. The robonoids surround her, arming their machine guns. Stevonnie looks at them with mixed feelings of shock and self-discipline.

 _Should have watched my surroundings._ A voice says.

 _It's not your fault! I was having too much fun! Now, do the flip!_ Another voice yells. The body obeys and backflips high in the air just as the turrets fire.

 _How can we take these things down?_ The first voice asks.

 _My shield can deactivate magical influence. Call Lion!_ The body whistles in mid-air and lands with a thud. Lion appears through a portal. He growls at the robonoids, before turning his attention to Stevonnie. "Lion." She says. Lion's mane glows, and Stevonnie reaches in pulling out the sword Rose Quartz used in battle. Now the shield. Stevonnie closes her eyes and focuses. When, Steven met Connie. The desire to protect arose and out came the shield. Then the first voice's mocking sound appears.

 _That's what you think about to summon your shield? I'm touched._

Stevonnie rolls her eyes and takes her sword. She bashes it against the shield, creating a metallic sound and vibrations, but nothing happens. "You don't use magic to operate." Stevonnie thinks aloud. _Nice plan._ The first voice says. "I have a better plan," Stevonnie continues. "Hack and slash." Stevonnie dashes forward. The machine gun lasers pelt the shield as the fusion moves forward. And then, the magic happened.

One personality with command over the shield, the other on the sword. Harmony was formed. Swiftly slashing and cutting through the robots like a knife through butter, while the shield takes any punishment thrown at it. Avoid gun fire, slash horizontally. Roboniod coming in through the back. Sheild blocks the leg's jab. Sword slashes through the leg and stabs into the robonoid. Meanwhile, the militia is battling the soldiers, survivors in hand. And after the robonoids are gone, Stevonnie joins her team mates.

Garnet punches one soldier in the face. Stevonnie trips the attacker and stabs them in the gem. Stevonnie grabs Amethyst's whip and swings her around, then lets go. In mid-air, she transforms in the muscular wrestler, Purple Puma, and drop kicks the soldiers. Pearl charges some soldiers, Stevonnie slashing with her. Stevonnie spins around and finds a gem diving in her way, about to shoot her. But then, Soren arrives and begins to cut and burn the rest of the army. The gems eventually retreat. But not before the fusion grabs a soldier and knocks him out. She wants them to know. She takes the hologram projector and pulls up a feed of Yellow Diamond.

"I bet you hate us now, hey yeller?" Stevonnie says mockingly.

"You," Yellow says in shock. "That's a fusion! But who fused? That gem! You, you, you fused with a human! You're impure!"

"And yet stronger in every way." The fusion purrs.

"Blasphemer," Yellow yells. "Humans are weak. You are weak! I will kill you with my bare hands and…" Stevonnie crushed the projector in her hand. She was so happy with making Yellow Diamond mad. And now they looked at the retreating gem ships. Mission accomplished. And with that they un-fused.

And it was stable. No words were said. No motions were made, other than the victory fist bump. And then Steven grinned saying "That was awesome! We saved the day again! And we did it strongly! Oh, I'm so happy!" But his joy was interrupted when he looked at the sight behind him. The survivors where helping board the APCs, bringing in the dead bodies and heavily injured. And his gaze fell upon the two Maheswarans, bleeding and knocked out. The battle field was a win. But everything else?

Steven lost. As a leader. And as a friend.

 **Next chapter, a heart to heart with Steven and Connie's parents. Leave a review with these three things. What you want to happen next. If Stevonnie should be formed again. If you're excited for my new 'Destiny' story. It's called 'Destiny: Law of the Jungle' and is a re-imagining of the game's story. Have a nice week. See you next chapter.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	14. Chapter 14: Heart-to-Heart

**I'm uploading two in one day! Yay! Say yay. Do it now. Now. Did you do it? Okay, good. Now then, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Please leave a piece of criticism down below, saying what I can improve on. It won't bother me, I have thick skin. And now, read my friends.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Heart-to-Heart

Everyone was resting at the armory. Everyone had their own quarters to sleep, the survivors were being trained by the gems and the dead had been laid to rest, being cremated by Soren. But Steven, although back to his perky attitude, was being serious right now. The reason: there are three injured soldiers that his healing spit could only mend. Connie was helping him, as two of the three injured are her parents. Steven is currently filling small flasks with his spit. Connie told him to rest for now, and he responded to the statement by being useful even more. The day they have the death toll up to ten once again is the day they run out of these flasks. And then, Connie approached him. "Hey," She said. "Dad wants to talk with you."

"Is something wrong?" Steven asks looking at her. Her cheeks were stained with tears.

"No, no," She says. "He just wants to talk. I'm going to go help Garnet." She walks off into a tunnel. Steven gets up and walks over to the three bodies on the floor. The first, Lars was sleeping. As was Dr. Maheswaran. Mr. Maheswaran however was laying down, his hands on his chest, awake. Steven sits down and looks at him. The father looks at him and quietly says something in response to his nervous eyes.

"I guess my family would be dead right now if you hadn't met Connie," He says. "I want to thank you. You've helped us a lot. What were you doing over there?"

"I was filing flasks with my…" Steven said. He stopped at the last word. It felt awkward talking about his spit with another man. Other than his father at least.

"Healing spit," Mr. Maheswaran asks, of which Steven replies with a nod. "You've healed more than my daughter's eyes. Me and her mother are so protective over her. We sealed her way from the world, thinking all she needed was safety and protection. What she really needed is a friend. You became that friend that she desperately needed. Broke her out of her shell, gave her your social grace. I was so worried about her safety, but this war has shown us nobody is safe. So, I'm glad you were there to protect her in all the right ways."

"She's helped me a lot, too," Steven said. "I'll be honest, I had the social grace of a potato when I met her. But she's saved my skin and was there through thick and thin when the gems weren't. I saved the Earth's ocean, but she saved me from plummeting to my doom. I broke the gems out of the warship, and she was there to break the social trauma. I'm trying to save the Earth, and she's taking a lot of hits. Physically and mentally."

"I'm proud of her," Mr. Maheswaran says. "I'm proud of you, too." Steven wiped some tears away from his eyes. This was him not quite at his most emotional, but still pretty strong. "I've got something for you," He says all of the sudden. "Here." He holds out his hand and Steven grabs it. A package of mints? Whatever. He nods and walks away. He goes into the tunnels and into Soren's room. Once again, he's scanning the maps, looking for a plan.

"Are we in condition to attack the Skywatcher?" Steven asks. Soren shakes his head grimly.

"The defenses around the ship are way too strong," The gem says. "We wouldn't be able to punch even a hole in the defenses."

"Can't you just make it explode, like last time?" Steven asks.

Soren shakes his head and says "I didn't make it explode, I made it implode. It's weakest on the inside, and we'll never get inside with any of our might. We need to lure it out."

"Connie told me the biggest city in the word by population is Tokyo," Steven said. "They had fish in a barrel to attack them, and with so many people means so many prisoners. We take that city back, it'll have to draw the gems out." Soren looks at the area on the map.

"I'll devise a plan to attack the Gem Comm Hub in Asia," Soren says. "Best everyone get ready." Steven nods as Soren switches maps to a scale of Asia and scans somewhere in the Himalayas. The boy leaves and walks through the tunnels some more until he reaches the high point. He climbs out of the tunnel opening and looks at the meadow below. And the smoke in the air. But most of all, Connie sitting on the ledge looking at something. Steven sits down beside her, and looks at a picture of her and her parents.

"All they wanted was to keep me safe," She said. "And they ended up getting hurt."

"It's my fault," Steven said. "I couldn't keep my shield up long enough for you guys, and then I just collapsed. And then ten people died. And all I can think about now is that failure."

"When we fused, I saw your thoughts," Connie said. "You saw a lot. Your home town burned to the ground, prisoners executed on the ground, the deaths of the militia in our latest mission. That caused tons of trauma. And so, you put all that on you. Because everyone wants you to live up to your mother's name. But this…"

She pauses and then says "You can't save your mother's memory. And you can't live up to her. Because you're not her. You're strong. There are so many ways I want to be like you."

"There are times where I want to be you," Steven says. "You've experienced a mother's love. You're so calm and collected and smart. You saw your parents get hit and you live with that. Like it isn't there."

"Yeah," Connie says. "We never stop and look at the little things. Like, say, Amethyst swooning over Soren?" Steven looks at her with wide eyes.

"Really?" He asks.

"Yeah, she'll head over heels," Connie says. "I don't understand it. None of us really trust Soren anyway."

"He's making up for it." Steven says. They sit, looking at the meadow. Connie most probably thinking about her parents. Steven, meanwhile, thinking about why Mr. Maheswaran gave him a pack of mints.

 **I'm tired. All I have to say. I'll be out with another Mass Effect tomorrow. Same with Steven Universe. Are you hyped for Destiny? I know I am! See you soon.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	15. Chapter 15: Hubs and Secrets

**Hello, guys. Just so you know, I'll try to update the stories mainly on weekends (unless I'm busy on Saturdays) and seldom on weekdays. Anyways, onto the story. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Please, leave a review saying how you want the story to use and maybe some gem characters you may want to see in the story. If it's the latter, give the information to my Dante Watterson or me, but Dante is way better at analyzing and profiling OCs. Speaking of which, the reader named Lexboss has given us a character that we can use which I will be implementing shortly. Now, please read on. And enjoy.**

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Hubs and Secrets

Soren didn't tell them the plan because there was no need for a plan. The Gem Comm Hub in Asia is based in the summit of Mt. Everest, which right now is in the middle of a huge snowstorm. Homeworld, according to Soren, was not prepared for this type of weather when setting up shop, therefore, they will literally not see the attack coming. So, right now, guerilla warfare is essential to their victory. As such, they are wearing heavy clothing to keep themselves warm that are white to blend in with the environment. No biggie. But the moment the warp pad teleported them to the Himalayas, Steven was hit with a wave of cold and he could see his breath.

He was shivering madly as they went up one of the mountains, yet trying to soldier on. 'I'm a Crystal Gem,' He said in his head. 'I eat snow for breakfast! Just not the yellow snow. Eww…'

They eventually made it to the top of the mountain and saw a giant green disk a few yards away. A militia member came forward with binoculars, looking at the ship. "There appear to be six gems at the outside of the ship," says the voice. "You can use stealth if you need to board the ship."

"The gems and Connie go inside the ship," Soren says. "The militia needs to stay here and alert us if anything happens. We need to partner up. Amethyst is with me, Garnet and Pearl are together and Steven and Connie are together. Let's go." Garnet grabs hold of Steven and Connie and they start sliding down the side of the mountain. Then, without warning, Soren, Amethyst and Garnet jump and start soaring to the other summit. They land with a thud, and Garnet lets them go. They all summon their weapons and look around. Six gems. Soren and Amethyst landed somewhere else. It's just them. Garnet points to the left, then to herself, then to the right. The four then split up, sticking to cover and laying low.

The first gem they see has their back turned to them, with a rifle. He looks at Connie, who responds with a sly grin. Steven knew what they had to do, although the move all depended on an angle. And it would be hard to aim in this weather, but he had to try. He whistled loudly, drawing the attention of the gem. The gem turned around, but did not immediately see Steven. Steven could see that the type of armor the gem was wearing was not the kind that automatically hardens. With this, Connie jumps on the shield and Steven lifts the shield while Connie jumps. The warrior soars at the gem and slashes through the armor. The gem poofs and Steven catches it. "One." Steven says into the radio.

"Two." Soren's voice says back.

"Steven look out," A militia man says on comms. "There's a gem headed your way." Steven looks around, all he could see is snow and mist. Only when he turned around is when he saw a gem soldier holding an SMG. They've been caught. All of a sudden, Garnet's gauntlets appear and snap the gem's neck. The gem poofs, and Garnet catches the gem, then shattering it.

"Three," She says. "Be more careful next time."

"Four and five, baby," Amethyst says over comms. "One left! Woo hoo!"

"There's a soldier running for the ship!" Militia says. Connie face palms and they run for the ship. They get there just in time to see Amethyst throw a soldier to the ground and Soren stab the guard, poofing him. They then celebrate with a high five, Soren actually smiling, which Steven has never seen him do before. Connie wasn't joking about Amethyst being head over heels either. It looks like they're really warming up to each other. Without any thought, they enter the ship and look around. It looks like a cargo bay, holding gem vehicles, weapons and crates.

"We'll create a distraction in a large area in the ship," Pearl says. "You crawl through he vents and…" There was a monstrous sound, and as Steven looked out the cargo bay, he saw half of a mountain collapse. The avalanche afterward was huge, mist and snow flying into the air. "Never mind! Find cover!" Pearl said right as the cold mist of snow entered the ship, leaving Steven's eyes and skin brittle and frosted. Steven summoned his bubble, which instantly went flying across the ship's bay area. After the quick snowstorm, Steven looked around to find himself in with Connie and Soren. He popped the bubble right as alarms went off.

"Whatever is powerful enough to do that much damage is an asset," Soren says. "We need to investigate that disturbance quickly. Militia, we're changing assignments."

"But what about the hub." Steven asks.

"Actually, Soren's right, Steven," Garnet said. "If whatever is down there isn't corrupted, we need it on our side. We need to get to it before the gems do. Oh, don't worry," She smiled at Steven's worried face. "It'll be me, Pearl, Amethyst and Soren."

"Against angry gems with lasers," Steven said, wanting to stay and fight. "We need protection. You need my shield!"

"No shield is needed, I know these ships inside and out," Soren says, finishing the message. "Our reflexes are at peak."

"Nothing goes over your head." Connie mocks, rolling her eyes.

"Nothing does go over my head," Soren said, summoning his weapon. "My reflexes are too sharp. I will dodge it." Steven face palms while Connie shakes her head, silently saying 'idiot' to herself.

"Just go, Steven," Garnet says. "I believe in you." Steven nods and whistles. Lion appears out of a portal and Steven and Connie hop on. Steven commands Lion to take them to the militia site, and they head through a portal, where they see the forty or so militia.

"I need ten of you with me," Connie says, rallying the attention of the others. "The rest of you, stay here and hold back any reinforcements." Ten soldiers step out and they head down the mountain, Lion carefully timing each step so that he doesn't fall. Steven could barely see through the frost and mist, mixed with snow, and the cold of the area was surrounding his face. Connie was equally as cold, hugging Steven's back for warmth. Steven liked the gesture, and he was glad that Connie couldn't see his face, because it had turned scarlet. They got down to the large opening in the mountain and run inside. Thank goodness, they saw no one. But they were surprised to see, once deeper in the mountain, a laboratory that has been scorched.

The place looked like Facet Five, yet bigger and destroyed, burned and shattered. The second Steven entered the mountain, he was hit with a wave of heat that was just weird contrast to the severe cold of the Himalayas. They looked around, seeing shattered gems along the area. Tons of them. "This place is weird," Connie says. "This place. The darkness, the destruction, the gems, the creaking in the background, the scorches. This all so unnerving." They continued walking until they got to a circular platform, blocked off by shattered glass. Below them is a pod area, and a static hologram. This area was the most destroyed, wreckage all over the place. Then it snapped, the gems were experimenting with something. And it got loose.

"There's a gem experiment here," Steven says. "It's still here!" The area echoed and Steven realized that the experiment knew they're here. Oops.

"Good job," Connie mocks. "Militia circle the platform. I want you covering every entrance in the area and the area below us." Steven then heard it: footsteps. Out of nowhere, a huge bang caused the platform to wobble, and fall to the ground. The militia scattered and everyone was on the floor. Steven looked up to see a gem in a turquoise, skin tight jumpsuit, like Pearl's piloting suit. Steven was surprised to see that the one in this outfit was…

"Pearl?"

No, not Pearl. The figure did look like Pearl, slender and tall, practically a carbon copy, but with a few differences. The hair was like Pearl's but it was a bit spikier and colored ocean blue. The skin isn't a minty color, just white, like marble. The eyes are blue, but they look as if they've seen things. Horrible things. A young voice replies "I was a Pearl. Until I became their play thing, their ragdoll. I've killed gems and I won't hesitate to kill you. Did I mention that I am a specially bred gem, containing the special power of ionikinesis."

"What?" Steven asks in consideration of the last word. Connie stares at the Pearl doppelganger in awe.

"Control over plasma." She whispers. A ball of deep purple energy appears, with what looks like lightning surging through it, in the Pearl's hand. She approaches Steven, anger in her eyes.

"No, wait," Steven says, scooting away until his back hits a wall. "Pearl, don't do this!"

"I'm not a pearl," The gem says in anger. "I am Jewel, the evolution of the pearl! And I'm not your slave!" The gem brings her palm back, and throws the two million degree kelvin ball at Steven.

 **And there you have it! Jewel: Lexboss's creation is introduced. I've had to heavily edit her creation due to the canon in Steven Universe going against everything in her character. So, I've modified it. Sorry Lexboss, really. If it makes you feel better, Soren is Dante Watterson's creation, and I edited it for the story. Sorry, for the wait. I'll tell you what's been keeping me back: school. There. So, have a nice week. Lexboss, I can message you about the character if you want. See you then.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	16. Chapter 16: Blue Diamond

**Hello, friends. Were you in suspense in the last part of the previous chapter? Do you want to figure out what happens to Steven? FLAME SHIELD UP! YOU WON'T GET TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS! MWAHAHAHA! I bet you hate me. Deal with it. Anyway, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Leave a review saying what you think should happen later, and who knows, I might use it. I'll even take OC, speaking of which, thanks to Dante Watterson for helping me with ideas and the OC Soren Spessartine. Also, thanks to Lexboss for the OC Jewel. That's that for the Wall of Awesomeness. Now then, on with the story.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Blue Diamond

Soren is getting pretty tired. He and the others have been fighting for thirty minutes on end, trying to get to the center of the ship. They met countless gem soldiers, with and without the officially branded KSR armor (Kinetic Store and Release), which was the annoying armor that Aquamarine had on when they fought. He was fighting with Amethyst, and she is very skilled at combat. They managed to take out many soldiers. Amethyst grabbed a guard with KSR armor with her whip and slang it to Soren, who then assaulted the guard with a large stream of green fire until the armor overloaded ad the gem poofed. Soren definitely liked working with Amethyst. He hasn't had this much confidence in his abilities since he had been dating Aquamarine. And it wasn't just his fighting skills, it was also as a person. He hasn't smiled, smirked or anything like that in a long time.

"Ungh," Amethyst whined, tired. "When are the others coming back? It's taking forever." She jumped and did a homing attack on a guard. Soren was currently locked in swords with a guard, swinging carefully.

"I don't know how long I can do this," He panted, quickly flipping away and summoning fire underneath of the sword-wielding soldier. "We need to get to the center." Garnet was against a wall trying to keep the crowd of soldiers under control. She fired her gauntlets as missiles from time to time, and tried to take out as many guards as quickly as possible. It was quickly draining her. Pearl meanwhile, was constantly moving, shooting energy out of her spear and mowing the soldiers down. Soren focused on what he could with everything when he hears the sound of metal being torn to pieces. He turns to see a pair of muscular, navy blue arms grabbing Garnet's waist. Then, she poofed. The three other gems turn and scream out the poofed gem's name. They run over to the recent hole in the wall and look at the gem who is juggling the gems of Ruby and Sapphire in her hands.

She has cyan hair running down her shoulder in a long braid. She is also wearing an outfit similar to the one Yellow Diamond wore, but has a color scheme of purple armor and an indigo cloak. The skin is a light blue shade, with sapphire eyes. She has a blue diamond on her chest, but it is shaped like an egg. Soren could tell by the royal get up and the smirk on the gem's face who it was. "Blue Diamond." Snarled Soren.

"Spessartine," Blue Diamond said in a voice that radiated superiority and arrogance. "You think you can sneak aboard a ship with me on board and expect to win a battle? Idiots. All of you," She catches each gem in each hand and holds them apart. "I can shatter your strongest gem right now. "

"If you do," Soren growls, pulling his swords up. "I'll put one in your lap first."

"Who's going to stop me, peasant," Blue Diamond laughs. "A slave, an overcooked runt and a defected infantry line? News flash, bozo! I'm the best fighter in this room! I single handedly crippled your strongest trooper in one fell swoop. I'll shatter her right NOW!" Blue shoves the two gems together, trying to crush them. Before anything can happen, though, Soren races forward, leaps and kicks Blue straight in the face. The diamond staggers back and Soren catches the poofed Ruby and Sapphire. Landing he bubbles them, and with some focus, traps them in a crystal ball. He throws them back, letting Pearl catch them, and leaps at Blue.

The troops advance on Pearl who throws it to Amethyst, currently in mid-air. "Aw yeah," She yells. "I love a good old game of hot potato!" Pearl uses an energy blast from her spear to send the guards flying. Meanwhile, Soren is attempting to hack away at Blue, who uses her gauntlets to block every blow. Blue tries to swing at Soren, who jumps and lands on her arm. He attempts to leap to her face, swords drawn. Blue sees this coming, and grabs Soren's leg, swinging him over her head and throwing him on the ground. She attempts to stomp on his chest, and Soren, seeing the telegraph, flips a few feet away. Surprisingly, Blue summons a revolver, radiating a strange energy.

"You're not very good at this, are you," Blue mocks, squeezing the trigger. "Want to relax? Maybe be shattered for a little bit? My trigger finger is pretty itchy."

"You fail to amuse me," Soren says, holding his swords close to his face. "We will win. This planet belongs to the humans. Not us."

"Arrogant, little son of a gun," Blue says, smirking. "I'm the best for a reason! Now, die!" She fires her revolver, and Soren dived out of the way just in time to not get shot. The area where the floor was shot was turning into gas. Blue smirked ready to shoot a second time. Soren would not be able to dodge it this time. Before Blue could shoot though, Amethyst's whip wrapped around Blue's hand and the hand was pulled back. Amethyst was nearby with a smile on her face.

"You just can't do anything without me, can you," She teases. "Well, I've got an appointment with Blue Diamond's butt. The doctor is my foot."

"Three's company, defective little quartz." Blue says. She then pulls her hand forward, sending Amethyst flying toward Soren. Soren catches her, and they take up fighting stances. They run forward, Amethyst diving under Blue's legs and hopping up on her shoulders, effectively blinding her by hitting her head over and over, while she yells "Get off of me, brat! That's an order!" Soren, meanwhile, is slashing at her armor, trying to cut it. However, whatever he does, he cannot seem to cut through the armor. Unexpectedly, Blue took her revolver and tried to shoot Amethyst. The purple gem slips off Blue's shoulders and wraps her whip around her legs, pulling. Blue Diamond falls over, face first, and Soren takes this time to try and poof her. He attempts to slash at Blue's head, but she turns around and uses her gauntlet to block the strike. "You can't hit me, Spessartine!"

"You can't touch me, high and mighty Blue Diamond," Soren mocks. "Want more?" Blue pulls her feet up and kicks Soren into the air and sends Amethyst into a wall. Soren flies down and Blue hits him with something, slamming him against the wall where Amethyst is. Soren looks up and sees a clear substance hovering around her armor in a cyclone. "Water," Soren says. "Retorting to pulling water out of the air? Fusing the oxygen and hydrogen in a desperate attempt to win? Bring it on, sister," Soren says, summoning a fireball, purple in color, from his hand. "Fire versus water." Blue grins and turns the water into ice shard, then throwing them at Soren. The gem in turn makes a massive, blue fire shield making the ice melt instantly. Soren grins at Amethyst, promptly turning a dark shade of purple, and is greeted with Blue's purple boot to his solar plexus, which sends them through a wall.

Soren slides down the slick, glossy floor of the ship, now in the center of the ship, a glass roof covering them. He hops up to see Amethyst a few yards away, rubbing her head, and to see a charging Blue Diamond. Blue picks Soren up by the neck, and holds him high. Amethyst's whip comes out of nowhere, but Blue grabs it and pulls it viciously, causing the purple gem to go flying and a little bit away, hit a wall. Soren summons his sword and tries to slice the gem's head. Blue Diamond, however, catches it and throws Soren to the ground, putting her boot on his chest. Electricity begins to surge through Soren, roasting him alive, sending pain through his body. He tries so hard not to retreat into his gem, keeping his body together. His consciousness slowly fading. "Don't retreat so soon," comes Blue Diamond's harsh voice. "I've just started to have fun. You and that defective quartz sure have excellent chemistry. After I shatter you, I'll do the same to her." Something snapped alive inside Soren, and a primal roar came from him, as a cyclone of fire sends Blue up into the air and onto the ground.

Soren, on all fours, growls at the so called "technician leader" of the "Diamond Authority". "Aw," Blue says, standing up weakly. "Now, what did I do to deserve that?" Soren, roaring, cartwheels forward and kicks Blue against the wall, holding a sword against her neck.

"You," He growls. "You stole Aquamarine. Took her away. She left me. To fuse with _you_!" Blue kicks Soren away, grinning savagely.

"Oh, now I remember," She mocks. "Maybe I'll do the same to your so called Amethyst." Soren's eyes burn hot, firing a stream of flames at her. Blue dodges quickly and gets behind Soren, holding her revolver to his head. "You certainly are angry. Do I need to discipline you?"

"Don't you ever shut up?" Soren mocks. Blue forces the gun against his head.

"Don't you," Blue says. "Bad gem. I'll have to tech you a lesson. An after, Amethyst."

"SHUT UP! NOW!" Soren roars. And then, the glass shattered. And like that, chaos broke loose.

* * *

 **Hello! Sorry for the hiatus. I've been busy. Hope you enjoyed the introduction of Blue Diamond, my OC. If you have anything to say, leave a review. Heck, you can mock me about when this came out. But above everything else, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. See you next time.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

 **p.s. #Prayfortheworld**


	17. Chapter 17: Freedom from the Lab

**Hello! I'm here with another chapter of Steven Universe, which I'm sure you've waited for! And you get to see Steven's side of things this time! Anyway, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have any suggestions over what should happen in the story, leave a review. Anyway, it's time for the new character's point of view! Enjoy!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Freedom from the Lab

As Jewel threw the ball of plasma at the gem, he summoned a pink bubble. An ability only able to be made through a quartz. The plasma exploded on contact, breaking the bubble. The gem laid flat against the wall. Didn't all of the quartzes leave Homeworld, to join the rebellion to defend Earth? This gem might not be trying to hurt her at all. But then again, is this thing even a gem? Why isn't his skin the color of the rose quartz he possessed? Why was his shield so weak? What is it? Jewel picked up the thing by the neck of his shirt and pulled him close to her face. He smiled nervously, seating while weakly laughing. "You," Jewel said, curiously. "What are you?"

"I-I-I'm Steven." He said, with a mixture of confidence and fear in his voice. Jewel squinted her eyes. Steven? She never finished her thought. Something hard hit her in the side of the head, sending her flying a few yards away. She landed on her feet and looked at what hit her. A human. A female human. She stood at a fighting stance, feet spread out, body lowered, sword drawn. She looked tense, ready for a fight.

"I'm Connie," She said, sounding more confident than the thing Steven. "And these are our soldiers." Another human wearing military clothes grabbed her arm and forced Jewel on her knees. Another human did the same. They held her down. Jewel, in an act of instinct, outstretched her hand and out came a beam of purple energy. It carved through the mountain, making the lab around them collapse. The humans were knocked back and Jewel backed up. She looked around. A pillar was going to come down on the human called Connie. Steven got up and leaped, pushing her out of the way. Jewel looked away. The lab was coming down. He pointed her palm at the upper side of the mountain and a pulse of plasma came from it, making the side of the mountain explode into dust.

Now for an old trick that gems can do. Jewel put one of her legs back, commanding her gem to move most of its energy to both of them. She bent her legs and leaped, bounding high into the air. Before she actually leaped, she commanded her gem to reduce her body mass to virtually nothing. She flew high into the air, through the massive hole in the mountain. She was met with a wave of snow, blinding her with the white mist and darkness. She was in the air now, and she had to escape the area but how. She looked around and saw a Gem Communications Hub. And she could sense inside two powerful energies in conflict. One she recognized well. The gem who bounded her to the experiments and turned her into a monster: Blue Diamond.

Jewel turned toward the ship and starts vibrating her hands, super quickly. Then, her hands break the sound barrier, the resulting boom sending her forward. She launches herself over the middle of the ship, over the glass barrier. She slams down through the glass, landing on something that separates on her impact. She looks at the figure that was fighting Blue Diamond. A Soren Spessartine. Looks to be converted into the rebellion. Jewel turns and looks at the 'Head Leader of Technological Advancement,' who widens her eyes in surprise. "You." Blue Diamond says. Jewel opens her arms and nods, a grin growing in her face.

"Me." She says back. Here she is. The gem responsible for turning Jewel into what she is now. And she gets this one chance to pay her back. The perfect opportunity. Blue Diamond gets on her feet and summons a revolver out of nowhere. She fires at Jewel, three blasts in a row. Jewel ducks in response and thrusts her fist out. Plasma shoots from the fist, sending the cloaked Diamond back against the wall. The wall dents, a few cracks forming. Jewel looks behind her. The Soren is standing, his back hunched and his hand on his rib. He lowers his head, like he doesn't even acknowledge her existence. He squints hard and looks back up. And it clicks.

"I'm sorry," He says, in a growly way. "Make her pay." Jewel turns around and looks at Blue Diamond, who groans. Jewel puts out an open hand and points it at Blue Diamond. No one talks. The only movement is Soren quickly moving to a nearby gem, picking her up bridal style and walking away. Blue Diamond clearly thought about attacking the Soren, but she looked back at Jewel, who was primed for another plasma attack. It would be stupid to even think about making a move. Blue Diamond knows well the capabilities of this gem. Even the slightest move, and she can blow up the entire ship. As such, she waits.

"So, I see my little experiment has busted free," Blue Diamond mocks. "Are you planning to kill me?"

"I'm thinking about it." Jewel says, frowning. She fully intended to kill her, but she wanted Blue Diamond to talk. The more she knew the better.

"This is just perfect, isn't it," Blue Diamond says back, studying Jewel closely. "First, the boy Steven Universe assembles an army and fights for what is rightfully ours. Now, you're here fighting us too." Jewel spaced out as Blue Diamond talked. Steven Universe. The boy from the lab. He's fighting the gems? What is going on? Her focus shifted when she saw Blue Diamond run at her quickly, a gem destabilizer in hand. The gem managed to dodge a slash and summon a weapon of her own: a silver long sword glistening with a plasma coating. She blocks the next vertical downward slash with her blade. "Nice entrance by the way," Blue Diamond taunts. "Either you've never heard of a door or you just like pulling glass out of your jumpsuit." Jewel manages to swipe her blade away and tries to slash at the Diamond. Blue blocks it and retaliates with a slash of her own. This goes on over and over.

"You've-got-quite-the-sword-skills!" Blue says on every slash.

"You put me in that lab," Jewel says, angrily. "Stripped me of my freedom. I'll shatter you and this ship the same way." She puts her palm on Blue Diamond's solar plexus and makes a shockwave out of plasma, sending Blue through the nearby wall. Jewel follows Blue through the wall, who kicks her back into the room and charges again. Jewel manages to grab Blue by the neck and shoves her against a nearby wall. A supercharged plasma coats her hand and Jewel punches Blue in the face, causing a massive explosion that blows a hole in the ship. Jewel looks through the hole, not seeing any of Blue Diamond. She turns around to see Blue Diamond, and before she could comprehend that she was there, she was punched a few yards away. "How?" Jewel says, surprised.

"There's water in the air, friend," Blue Diamond smirks. "Shape shift into the stuff, and end up behind you. Simple." She whips out her destabilizer again and they go back to sword fighting. Blue manages to take a step back, and readies for another charge. Jewel fires another plasma beam, which blows another hole in the ship. Blue manages to dodge the beam and slashes again. Jewel, in an effort to stab the gem, lands her weapon inside of the destabilizer, which Blue promptly turns the weapon and snaps the sword. The gem retaliates and grabs the destabilizer, snapping it with her hands. "Brat!" Blue Diamond yells, doing a roundhouse kick. Jewel takes a defensive rout, blocking every attack with her hands, covering up her head and torso.

It gets to the point where Blue does a kick, aiming for the head. Jewel counters this by blocking the kick, trapping the leg with his hand and then punching Blue right in the pelvis. Blue grunts loudly in pain, and Jewel follows it up with tripping Blue onto the floor still holding the leg. She then twists the leg quickly and…

 _Snap!_

Blue cries out in pain and starts yelling profanity. Jewel holds Blue by the shirt and holds her fist out, vibrating it to lightning speed. Blue Diamond, in defense, pushes something on her gauntlet and disappears. Jewel tries to punch her, but instead punches the floor. And then, there was a massive explosion that blew the entire ship to bits. Jewel, confused, lands onto a nearby mountain, on her knees. She looked around and then realized that Blue Diamond had escaped. She grunts and looks around. A while away, Steven, Connie, the gems and some sort of army looks at the wreckage falling from the sky. Steven then looks in her direction. So, what now? The ship is destroyed. So, where is Blue Diamond? Only one way to investigate. She needs to get moving. She turns away from the nearby group, and leaps away.

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 **I'm sick. Boo! Whatever. So I'll see you later. If you have a character idea, tell me! See you soon.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	18. Chapter 18: Higher Priority

**Hey, I'm sorry I haven't been able to send chapters out at my usual rate. Something happened that I don't want to talk about and then it was mixed with Thanksgiving. It's been very busy. Anyway, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Leave a review on what you think will improve the story. And also, there is a choice that YOU have to make in this chapter. And what you choose will alter the story for better or worse. So choose wisely. Anyway, see you later.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Higher Priority

"What was that," Steven yelled out, as the flaming remains of the ship fall onto the mountains. "That was awesome! Who was she? She looked like-Pearl? Do you know who she is?" Steven turned to Pearl, who looked both shocked and in awe. She looked at Steven and shook her head. The boy frowned in disappointment. Who was the gem? She looks extremely powerful. She could be an asset to the Crystal Gems. Where did she run off to? It makes no sense. Soren and Amethyst appeared, walking up the mountain. Soren looked tense, and also excited. "Soren, did you know who that gem was?" Steven asked. Soren looked at him, and smiled. Wait, Soren is smiling. Okay, the world is officially ending.

"A Pearl," He said, looking at everyone with a fire in his eyes. "A genetically modified Pearl. With the ability to control Plasma!" Pearl widened her eyes in shock.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. She looked disgusted.

"A gem project," Soren said, pulling up a profile from his gauntlet. "A genetic project was made to make gem super soldiers about one hundred years ago. It was created from a spliced version of Pearl and Agate, and was experimented on to create a perfectly stable forced fusion," Steven saw Garnet shiver for a second. "It was successful. And was continued to be upgraded for an even more powerful gem. As the years went on, the experiments continued with even more gems. Each one was not as successfully spliced as this one." Suddenly, a light bulb flared within Steven's head. The other Gem Experiments, the ones that Garnet and him discovered at Facet Five. They were the failed experiments to follow up this one. It all made sense now.

"It wiped out the ship in one fell swoop," Soren continued. "Imagine how powerful we could be with her on our side," Soren took a more serious persona after taking a deep breath. "We need to recruit her. ASAP. Let's get moving."

"What," Pearl asks, sounding shocked. "We need to go invade Tokyo! The Skywatcher has to have come out of Tokyo to investigate! At least by now, it has! We need to be able to catch the gems off guard! We need this foothold in Japan! And there are innocent human lives being held hostage there! We can't just leave them behind!" Soren looked at her, looking surprised. Steven looked at both of them, worried there was going to be a fight. But instead Soren just looked at her then talked.

"Having this gem is a coup," Soren argued. "Imagine our chances of winning the war with her on our side. Right now, she's a wild card. We cannot afford the gems capturing her. By then, our strongest potential weapon in the war will be lost!"

"If we go after that gem, our chances of going to Tokyo undetected will be lost!" Pearl argued. The tension was high between the two, and Steven thought both points in the argument were valid. But there was one problem.

"Can't we go attack Tokyo and find the gem at the same time?" Steven asked.

"No, we can't," Garnet said. "Our military strength is too low. If we send half of our troops to Tokyo, it'll be much too little to even stand a chance against the gems. And you saw how powerful that gem is. If the persuasion goes south, we won't have enough man power to take her out. And the gems alone won't take her out. Remember what happened when we first met Lapis?" Steven couldn't argue with that. But this was such a predicament. Would they sacrifice saving lives for a powerful weapon, or sacrifice a powerful weapon to save potentially thirty-two million lives? You do one, and the possibility is you will not be able to do the other one at all.

"What do you think, Garnet?" Steven asked.

"We need to go to Tokyo," the gem said. "We won't have a foothold in this war if we go after the gem. And a gem that powerful? Going after her is suicide. The only thing we can do about her is hope she targets the right people." Amethyst looks at Garnet with disbelief.

"Garnet, we need this gem on our side," She says. "We could have the chance to infiltrate the Skywatcher with her on our side, and maybe Tokyo!"

"Amethyst, don't argue with me." Garnet says, calmly as usual. Steven saw a rift in the gems before him. What would they do? Soren grunted and pulled out the hologram of the map of the Himalayas, with the Skywatcher nearby their position.

"Well, we don't have time to discuss this," Soren said. "The Skywatcher is nearby and if we don't get moving, we'll die trying to escape. You need to trust me!" At this point, Pearl snapped.

"NO ONE TRUSTS YOU, SOREN," She yells. "You're a homeworld gem that turned on the homeworld! You might turn on us!"

"What are you talking about," Soren yelled. "I fed you information! I killed a gem! I saved Steven's life! I have every right to be trusted!"

"You nearly killed Steven," Pearl yelled. "You act you want to work with us! Garnet, meanwhile, was nearly shattered and you just threw her gems!"

"I trusted you to catch them!"

"Liar!"

"Argh!" Soren pulled out his swords and lunged at Pearl. At the same time, Pearl pulled out her pear and took up a fighting stance. Before anything could happen, Steven and Connie jumped in the way. Steven used his shield to block Soren's strike and Connie held Pearl at her sword's point. There was tension for at least a minute. And then, Pearl laughed.

"Haha," She said. "I proved it! He can't be trusted! He attacked me!" Steven grunted and spun around. Pearl took a step back at the sudden movement.

"Pearl, you provoked him!" He yelled.

"But he…"

"No, don't argue with me! You took the argument too far! And Soren! You need to watch your temper!"

"But…" Soren said this time.

"NO! There is a war happening! There is a giant six-fingered hand coming to kill us! This is not the time to turn against each other! I choose where we go! And we're going to…"

 **Fill in the blank. Leave a vote, and think about this! Have fun! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	19. Chapter 19: Ravaged Cities

**Happy Holidays! Sorry for the sudden stops in writing. I had to sort some things out. But now, I can put some focus back on my good old stories. Now then, most of you saw Tokyo as the better option. So, they go to Tokyo. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a comment of criticism, praise, or a suggestion over how the story should go, leave a review. That's that! Enjoy! And have a very merry Christmas!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN: Ravaged Cities

"We need to head to Tokyo," Steven shouts. "There's no time to debate. I'm not risking an entire city for one gem!" He swivels his head to see the silhouette of the Skywatcher. And with that, everyone starts racing to the warp pad. Garnet activates it and everyone leaps through, leaving at just the right time.

"Everyone," Pearl says. "This Warp Pad leads to the Central Tokyo District Shibuya. It may be filled with gem activity. Keep a low profile and be careful where you walk." Everyone listened, and understood. Everyone knew how dangerous this mission is. Every mission beforehand has just been little assignments building up strength so they could fight the enemy. But with Tokyo under the Skywatcher's influence, it was going to fall soon. So, they took the chance, and now they are about to enter a theater of war. And Steven had his doubts. Right now, their force was a good sized militia, nothing near an army. Sending the troops into Tokyo is a huge risk; however it is one that has to be taken. If they lose Tokyo, they will lose some of the most high tech supplies asked for, and thirty-two million lives. Steven took a deep breath, and as quickly as they were out of the Himalayas, they were in Tokyo.

It appeared to be early morning, with some of the sky colored with red, orange and pink, but stars are still visible. The buildings look horrible, with glass shattered, flame scorches and some buildings have even collapsed. Rubble is on the street, and there are bodies of human allies, and shattered gems, on the streets. The sound of gunfire rings in the air, and gem ships fly through the air, soldiers standing post on nearby buildings. Connie walks over to one of the shattered gems and picks it up. "Looks like our Japanese allies know how to defeat the gems." All of a sudden, static rings, and everyone turns to Soren, who is tapping at his gauntlet.

"A radio transmission," He says. "I'm trying to clear it up now." It gets more clear until there is a low, gravelly voice, transmitting in Japanese. Soren taps at his gauntlet, and the voice transmits in English:

"This is Major Yoshi Harada of the JGSDF. I'm pinned down at Times Square. My men are dropping like flies. If anyone hears this, send help. Quickly!" Steven looks around and sees the gem soldiers start running from their posts, and the ships in the sky start flying in the same direction.

"It looks like we're not the only ones who got the signal." Sour Cream says, pumping his gem supplied shotgun.

"They're gonna get destroyed!" Amethtyst says, continuing the human's thought.

"Double time," Soren yells, running toward the direction the soldiers are headed. "We are not losing anyone today! Once we get there, run the crescent procedure! Move!" Everyone dashes, following the gem ships and find themselves on a piece of building rubble, looking down on a crater in the center of Times Square. Gems fire at a position, holding down a number of soldiers in an area, who valiantly attempt to fight back. Steven, Connie, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and Soren take point as the soldiers form a half circle shape and close in. The soldiers, completely caught off guard, never see Amethyst, Pearl, Steven and Connie begin a frontal attack in the middle of the lines. Steven and Connie take the opportunity and run toward the soldiers, Connie shouting something in Japanese. Behind them, Amethyst and Pearl begin to cripple the ranks from within the numbers, the militia circles around them and start picking them off and Garnet and Soren begin destroying the incoming gem fighters. Within minutes, all of the opposing gems have been poofed and shattered. The militia takes the opportunity to rest, while five Japanese soldiers approach Steven and Connie.

An older man, about fifty-six, is in front, wearing a blackish-blue vest, and camouflage wear in the same color, bearing the Rising Sun flag on his upper arms and vest. He has rough features, with brown eyes and black hair, with strings of grey. "I am Major Hamada," he says, nodding. "I am in your debt. They were going to kill us." He nods at the four men around him and they go off. "Who are they," He asks. "They have technology I've never seen before."

"I'm Connie Maheswaran," Connie says, nodding. "I can have Soren send you the dossier. It's a long story." Steven nodded. He wasn't sure the Major would even believe the story. But there was no time to be picky.

Major Hamada nodded. "I would appreciate it. We have little time. Enter the building behind where we were taking cover. If it is no trouble, my soldiers have been through a lot. We need time to mourn the dead. There is a lot to mourn."

"Go ahead, sir," Steven says. "We'll wait for you." Hamada shakes their hands and walks to his men, who have gathered a few bodies. They lower their heads and just stand there. Everyone heads in the building, which appears to have been a restaurant beforehand. Now, it is a base of operations. There is an armory on the right wall, mounted with many pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles and so on. On the left is what appears to be a common area, for the soldiers to rest. On the far wall, there is an extra room. Steven could see enough to know what it was: a morgue. In the center is a collection of tables, outfitted with computers and radios. The militia sits around the common area, and the Japanese soldiers mingle with them. Soren appears to have given Hamada something, and joins the Crystal Gems, who are in a discussion. Everyone settles in the area, Steven and Connie, with nothing else better to do, start talking about the movie adaption of "Unfamiliar Familiar". An hour later, Hamada approaches them.

"I've read the dossier." He says, sitting down with them.

"It's all real," Steven says. "It doesn't seem real but…" Hamada puts up his hand, signaling the boy to stop.

"I'm losing from all sides in a theater of war," the Major says. "I've no time to be picky. I do appreciate you coming to save, Tokyo, however. I'll assume you want updates. I'll give you them." He walks over to a computer and pulls up a map of Tokyo. "Central Tokyo is under attack from all angles. Our ground forces are putting up a valiant fight. It proves our enemy, no matter how durable, is not invincible," the area of the map appears to be colored orange. The next area pops up, colored red and labeled 'Old Tokyo.' "Shitamachi never stood a chance. It got hit straight out of the gate. We need outrageous numbers if we are to take it back. Otherwise, a skirmish in that area is a death sentence," the next area pops up, colored purple, labeled 'suburbs.' "The suburbs are an area of interest. There is not that much military resistance in the area. Our drones did pick up a number of camps, housing both civilians and our own military forces."

"You're bogged down, Major," Connie says, crossing her arms. "It seems that you can't do much of anything. You're forces are about to lose Central. How many troops are left out there?"

"Most of them are held captive in the suburbs," Hamada says, spinning in his chair. "The rest are out fighting to keep your gems out."

"So, you can't defend Central and try to capture Old Tokyo at the same time, and the gems' forces, no matter how small, are technologically superior to yours," Connie says, rubbing her chin. "You lose your forces if you try to infiltrate the suburbs and even if you survive, you will lose Central. Not much you can do without losing Tokyo altogether."

"So, what do you suggest we do then?" Hamada asks, rubbing his temples.

"Didn't you say you had drones scouting the suburbs?" The Major and Steven look at Connie, who has a wild look in her eyes. Hamada grins.

"Smart girl," He says, spinning back to the computer and pulling in some information on some attack drones, which appear to be armed with missiles and a mini-gun of sorts. "We don't have many drones out there, kid. But you already knew that. There is a warehouse around the industrial area of Central Tokyo that is loaded with attack drones. If we capture that area, we can get those drones. What after that?" Connie smiles and looks at him.

"We take whatever forces we have left and push into the suburbs, half of the drones with us and the others patrolling Central Tokyo, minimizing the ground and air resistance in that area. We clear out any gem resistance in the suburbs and bring all of the remaining captives into Central Tokyo. From there, we can keep the civilians here and every soldier and drone we have with us will help retake Old Tokyo. It's a start, but first we need to break into the warehouse quickly and unexpected."

Hamada looks at her, and chuckles a little bit. "You are a smart one, kid. It appears you have the superior gear to attack the warehouse. We can provide a distraction for you, get their attention for you." Connie sighs and shakes her head. It was here Steven realized the critical error in her plan: Hamada's squad. There was only five of them and, by the looks of it, very little of the same types of people still alive on the battlefield. They needed support while providing the distraction.

"You need support, or else you won't last five minutes in the distraction field," Connie says. "We can lend you some of our heavy hitters. You can have Soren Spessartine and Amethyst. But then, there's Steven and I. We fight better as a team," Steven smiles and looks away, his face suddenly flushing for no reason. "It's just a question of who we're going with." Hamada nods and stands up, saluting Connie.

"Thank you, Connie," Hamada says. "I thought this battle was unwinnable for the JSDF. But now, you've given us a chance."

"Much obliged, sir," Connie says, saluting him back. "But I'm not the one to thank. Steven's been through this war the longest of our little militia and he came up with the idea to support Tokyo." Steven turns even redder, nervously laughs and salutes the Major. Hamada responds by shifting so he's saluting at Steven. Then, he drops the gesture and walks away. Connie turns toward Steven and says "It's one or the other, Steven. If you go with the militia, we could potentially give the militia an edge in battle. But if we go with Hamada's squad, they have a higher chance of living to the final push. Where do we go?"

* * *

 **The militia or Hamada's squad? The choice is yours. I tried to get everything on Tokyo accurate but if you see anything wrong or inaccurate, please tell me so I can correct it. I don't wish to offend anyone. Happy Holidays!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	20. Chapter 20: Baby Steps

**School again. Unghhhhhhhhhhhh! Oh well, I still like this. I'll try to get these stories finished. You guys apparently like Hamada a ton, so Steven goes with him. This should be fun. Have an excellent day, and keep at life! It's amazing, isn't it! And I have to say, Rebecca Sugar is changing the continuity so quickly! I have an entirely different cluster, Blue Diamond's characterization is different and Peridot is still evil on my side! Grrr. But she does an amazing job at what she does, and the series is in good hands. It's not mine, and I'm glad. I'm an inpatient and slow person. Enjoy my story, and enjoy the days ahead in this New Year!**

 **God Bless, JPLegends**

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CHAPTER TWENTY: Baby Steps

Steven and Connie rode in the trucks with Major Hamada and his team as a convoy of other Ground Troops rode along, Soren and Amethyst included. Steven couldn't help but be intimidated by the military men, and the subtle silent things they did. Checking ammunition, making sure their weapon isn't jammed, shoving strange plates into their vests. It all seemed so bold and fearless, and it made Steven avoid everyone's gaze. Connie apparently felt the same way. She was looking away from everyone too, grasping firmly onto Steven's hand. In a bit, Hamada cleared his throat, making Steven and Connie suddenly stand up straight. He handed them a set of ear plugs, brown on one side and yellow on the other. "These protect your hearing," Hamada says. "Those guns are loud. The yellow side is sensitive against bangs and snaps, but you can hear conversations. The brown side offers complete protection." Steven and Connie glance at each other for a second and in synchronization, put the brown side of the plugs in their ears. Their so in synch even right now they wouldn't need to risk giving the enemy information while fighting together.

Steven saw the effects right away. Before there was the soft chatter of conversation and weapons making noises. Now, there is absolutely nothing coming in. Complete silence. Steven leaned back and exhaled. Beforehand, he would face battles in a calm and stoic manner. Now, he is able to lean back pre-battle as there was not the instant transportation of a warp pad. Steven felt Connie brush up against his shoulder, apparently still in synch with Steven, even with emotions. In a few minutes, Hamada nodded at them and climbed up into the nearby turret. Steven looked at Connie, who was sweating intensely. Pre-battle jitters. There were a few jerks from the truck, the blast of the turret and heat of its ammo and distant explosions in the earth. In a few moments, the truck jerked to a stop and Steven and Connie stood up near the door. Steven summoned a shield large enough to cover the entry, and Connie gathered by at the door. Steven was holding nicely, taking deep breaths. Connie signaled with her fingers numbers. Three…. Two…. One.

The door opened with a blare of laser fire, mixed silently by bullets. Most of the pellets hit Steven's shield immediately, making him shiver and sweat. He exited the vehicle slowly, moving straining him. He felt Connie leap off his shoulder and saw her swiftly take down a gem mid-air with a semi-circle slice, making it poof quickly. He moved into the battlefield, panting as his shield caught everything thrown at it, from laser shots to grenades to stray bullets. The officers behind him were packed up in a tight space, firing at enemies at all directions, as Hamada behind them offered fire support. The soldiers quickly moved to cover once close enough, giving Steven the chance to drop his shield, duck behind cover and catch his breath. He looked around him, looking at the strategic manner in which they were set up. They had the trucks circled around a large building, giving the false intention of wanting to capture the building. The trucks each had one man on turret, and the ones furthest from covered position got Soren, Amethyst, Connie and Steven as support. Meanwhile, troops were huddled around cover, picking off gems getting too close. So far no one had been lost. They just had to hold this until they got a cue the warehouse was under attack. Then, they do their best to shatter every gem in the area.

Connie had taken cover with him, providing extra protection for the group. She held on to Steven's shoulder, helping the boy get back to breathing properly. Within forty seconds, Steven was in top shape and had summoned his smaller, more bearable shield. Connie nodded and stepped back, keeping low. Steven put his shield over his head and waited as Connie leaped on top of the weapon. Steven shoved upward as Connie leaped, then vaulted over the small piece of cover. Connie had dispatched another gem the same way as before, awaiting Steven to rush in. The boy looked around. Three gems had taken notice of them. One on the left, one on the right and one on in the center. Grinning the boy threw his shield at the first soldier, stunning him as it bounced back to Steven. Connie saw this and quickly slashed her sword horizontally at the gem, making it poof. Steven got caught up to her by the time the gem poofed, and the other two gems had pointed their guns. Steven shielded them from the fire, then ducked to give room for Connie to vault over him.

Steven saw the other gem still aiming at Connie, and threw his shield again, yelling "Catch!" Connie had impaled the gem through its gem, and as it poofed and shattered, she threw her sword at the last gem. Steven had the stunned gem unoccupied to catch Connie's sword as it stabbed him in the chest, in the gem. It poofed and Connie threw Steven, a few yards away, his shield. The boy caught it just in time to see Connie dashing before a figure spun him around. A gem guard had caught him and was about to shoot Point Blanc. Steven held back a scream and sent his shield crashing into this gem's jaw-piece. The gem staggered back, met by a flying kick to the back of the head by Connie, and Steven strafed to the side as the gem tumbled his way, sending his foot out. The gem tripped and Steven muttered a little "Oops." He rolled him onto his back and sent the shield's sharp edge into the gem's gem. The soldier poofed and shattered.

Steven and Connie worked well. They are so synchronized! But this was also the same for Amethyst and Soren. But there was a difference. While Steven and Connie were elegant and graceful, Soren and Amethyst were simple and brutal. Steven saw them taking on a hail of gems all at once with devastating effectiveness. Amethyst would ensnare an enemy with her whip and swing and smash her into the ground, followed by Soren flying in for a swift sword strike. Soren followed up by shooting fireballs at the next set of enemies, sending them together and Amethyst would use her spin attack to knock them off their feet. The enemies would encircle, but Soren would shoot a stream of fire around the air and Amethyst would crack and whirl her whip, sending the flames everywhere. With the professional fighters on the field backed by turrets and heavy concentrated firepower, the gem forces were quickly losing their operation on the field. This meant more back up, which sent the plan further into action. And the plan quickly went overboard when the gems sent in their heavy hitters.

Peridot and Obsidian arrived on the battlefield, making the position here more complicated. Peridot was sending in flask and titan robonoids by the dozens, which quickly sent the soldiers into cover and made them stay there, making the Crystal Gems only backed by the turret selections. Obsidian meanwhile was charging in quickly, with the intent of breaking the turrets. Steven and Connie dipped when Obsidian got close and dived behind the nearby safeties of cover. Connie pointed at her plugs, and Steven knew they had to switch sides. They took the plugs out, chaos ringing for half a second, placing the yellow side in their ears. The change was that fire between the two groups was heard, but it wasn't too loud. Connie yelled, "We need to keep Obsidian distracted!" Steven peered at Soren and Amethyst being held at odds against Obsidian's skills with a trident. Steven turned back and nodded. "Ground force," Connie yelled. "We're focusing on the big, black gem! Take out as many of the gems and the robots if you can! Hamada's turret sect, aim for the robots!" Everyone changed directories and Steven and Connie charged for Obsidian's familiar face, not seen in a while.

The pair hit the big gem in behind with a double shot: Steven going for the back of the knees and Connie running for the head. Steven bashed the area, sending Obsidian stumbling forward into the spinning mid-air Connie, who hits him right in the face. Obsidian stumbles back, Steven jumping for another bash to the head. Instead, Obsidian spins and stabs his trident, crashing into the shield. Steven is stunned, but lands on two feet. "Soren, Amethyst, Go for Peridot," Steven yells. "We've got Obsidian!" He turns his attention back to the tall, menacing gem, about as greeting as a man whose seen cockroaches in his house after been rid of them for a while. "Haven't seen you in a while, Obsidian," Steven says, smirking. "Where'd you go after you… what did you do? Oh, yeah! That's right," Steven glared daggers at the gem. "Your little squad killed Buck Dewey!"

"You would be in Tokyo," Obsidian laughs. "You type are really arrogant. Humans. After the little skirmish at the hub in the western continent, you're kind started fighting back like the expedition meant something. You, although primitive, are quite annoying with your nuclear fusion." Steven slowly was taking in what he said. Humanity had started fighting back, and they captured nuclear missile silos. Useful.

"Good for them," Connie said, raising her sword. "But you killed our friend. So, you're going to hurt. And we're going to like it!" The two charged for him, Connie gaining air as usual. However, Obsidian with blazing speed, leaped swiftly and landed one foot on Steven's shield, concentrating on Connie's lightning fast sword fighting, brushing away each slash with his trident. Steven manages to shrug away Obsidian's foot, making him lose balance slightly. Connie, taking advantage of the distraction, got in close while Obsidian looked at the nearby nuisance and hit him with the hilt of her sword. The gem was thrown even more off balance by the shot, and even more when Connie jumped away from him, leaping from his chest. Steven leaped, bashing the side of Obsidian's falling head, making him turn as Connie ran in for another shot. But Obsidian got on fast, thrusting his trident for the ground where Steven stood.

A half second let Steven dodge, until the trident swiped upward, sending Steven back. Connie was mid-air at this point, ready to slice at the gem's back. "CONNIE, NO!" Steven yelled, but to no avail. Obsidian spun around and sent his fist crashing into Connie's stomach, making blood fly out of her mouth and her hair thrust forward violently. Time froze as Steven looked in horror as Connie, which had been knocked out before by a slap from this gem, hang from his fist. She had just been punched in the stomach full force. And now, he held her tunic, as blood ran down her chin from her lip. Steven thought she was dead, and so did Obsidian, who was smiling sadistically. But Connie weakly placed her hand on his wrist, looked at him tiredly and smirked.

"I'm not as weak as before, stupid," She whispered, painfully. "Looks like you can't kill a human correctly." Steven was amazed and took the chance to stand up and throw his shield. The flying object hit Obsidian square in between his shoulder blades, making him drop Connie in surprise. He turned angrily, snarling and hissing. Apparently, he thought Steven was dead as well.

"Try again, big guy," Steven mocked. "I'm sure you can hit harder than that!" Obsidian snarled and, in a stream of light, he was gone. Steven looked at where he once was to see the gem that they had left behind. The gem that had attacked Blue Diamond and nearly won. She stood there, staring at Obsidian still standing a few feet away. Steven, in awe, suddenly realized why he had made Obsidian mad in the first place. He saw the body of his best friend, the strongest human he knew, lying on the floor and struggling to get up. The boy bolted for Connie, and as such, with the instincts of a cougar, Obsidian bolted for Steven. But the gem was faster, she stepped in the way of Obsidian and summoned a sword out of her gem.

A silver, katana-like sword with a silver star at the butt of its hilt.

In a blinding motion, she swung her sword and Obsidian got knocked back several feet. The gem glared at the malformed Pearl, a glare of hatred. The other gem, however, took a stance. Bended knees, arched back, sword parallel to body. A stance of a professional fencer. Steven had made it to Connie, cradling her in his arms. She was weak, lightly gasping for air. The gem with the sword reached out behind her, and Connie started emitting a blue light. Nearly immediately, Connie's mouth was no longer bleeding, she was not gasping for air and she could move. After this, Obsidian lost it. "TRAITOROUS CLOD," He yelled. "You dare, you experiment? You _Pearl_? How dare you disobey your masters and you aid the enemy! What do you think you are?"

"I'm not a Pearl," the gem says. "They disposed of me, experimented on me. I'm not a gem! I'm a Jewel! And I know where my loyalty lies! With the innocent." Steven and Connie stood now, weapons ready for the next action. And then, faster than light, the Jewel spun her sword around in her hand.

And dashed…

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 **This was a chapter I was trying to write for forever now. But now, I can reintroduce new and old characters. And the scene that comes after this, will be fun. Credit goes to Lexboss for giving the story the character of Jewel and to Dante Watterson for introducing to me, early on, the characters of Soren Spessartine and Jadeite. I couldn't have made what I'm doing now possible without Dante, so I just want to say how much I appreciate it. If anyone has an idea, big or small, bring it to me or Dante. He helped me get to this point. It's only fair he and Lexboss get credit.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	21. Chapter 21: The Renegade Gem

**Wow, it's been a while. Anyway, I'm back! Finally. So, we see the new gem of Lexboss's creation, Jewel, at her full extent at last, and we'll see if she can live up to her promise to stay a renegade to the Homeworld Gems! But until then, we take ourselves back to the battle that Steven is in, and see what this new gem can do! I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have any ideas, please tell me or Dante Watterson what it is. Read and enjoy!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: The Renegade Gem

The attack was lightning fast. And Jewel took particular pride in her speed, strength and precision of her attacks. She surged forward, holding her sword behind her and once she got close, she swung her blade. Obsidian managed to block this attack, and immediately after the block, Jewel swung again. And again. And again. And again. She swung so many times so quickly that Obsidian was having a difficult time keeping up with the speed of her attacks. Once she got too close, Obsidian blocked another swing and threw it to the side, then swinging his trident across the air. Jewel dodged this and saw an opportunity present itself in the form of an opening. She stabbed at the armor of Obsidian's side. The jet black gem staggered back by the attack, and Jewel attacked at four more opening in rapid succession. Obsidian caught on quick enough and blocked another stab, again throwing it aside and bringing his trident down on Jewel's arm, lifted up to foolishly block this attack.

However, Jewel did something no gem could possibly do. A shiny metal piece, like tin, appeared on Jewel's arm in the round shape of a shield. This managed to deflect the trident strike, sending the weapon off to the side. Jewel brought her barrier up to bash Obsidian's face, sending him surging backward. The sudden stun brought up an opening in Obsidian's defense, and Jewel swung for the weak spot. Traversing for a few feet, Jewel managed to hit off a few slashes before Obsidian blocked a swing with the trident and swung back. The gem flew back a few feet and recovered, suddenly getting a real glimpse of her opponent's capabilities. Immense strength, really fast reflexes and quick recovery. "You know, I'd thought Blue Diamond would be here," Jewel taunts. "I guess I'll just shatter you instead."

"You wish, clod!" Obsidian snarls, running forward to attack Jewel once more. The black gem swings the trident multiple times, Jewel stepping back to dodge each swing. On the sixth swing, Obsidian stabs the Obsidian into the ground which Jewel jumps on top of the trident head and backflips off, kicking Obsidian in the jaw. Jewel lands a bit away, flipping her sword around her hand.

"I've seen the world in a small amount of time," Jewel says. "The mighty and immovable Homeworld are losing a war against a militia. Obviously, you didn't take into consideration nuclear weapons, the wiry warfare of the human race and the immense amounts of determination. A war which was obviously supposed to take days, is taking weeks to complete." Obsidian, in rage, runs forward again and swings the trident, which Jewel blocks with her sword. "And you're losing. Pitiful." Jewel takes this moment to make the silvery metal wrap around Obsidians feet, and Jewel brushes the trident off to the side, then leaping back a small bit. Then, the metal wraps around her lower leg and she does a roundhouse kick to Obsidian's cheek, followed by an upward kick to the chin, sending him backward with the amount of force. Jewel then does two swings to the chest, leaps up from the chest and does a downward slash, having Obsidian be massively stunned.

After this, Obsidian grabs Jewel's leg and throws her toward the gems's side of the battlefield, charging after her. Jewel grabs a Titan Robonoid and throws it at Obsidian at the last second sending him flying back with the massive explosion. But the explosion was not from the Robonoid. There were tons more explosions going off on the Homeworld's battlefield. And they were coming from flying machines that start flying throughout the battlefield and some even started flying away. Within seconds, Obsidian yells "Retreat!" and the gems start to run away. Many of the opposing gems did not get away, as the human forces managed to pick some off before they got in any vehicles and ran away. But before Jewel could run after them, a human appears in front of her and pulled out a small stick looking object, which then extended into a longer stick, which the human used to smack Jewel in the face with. Jewel, staggered by the attack, falls to the floor face first. When she rolls around, the human has pulled out a small firearm and is aiming at her gem with it. More humans in similar attire come with similar firearms.

"Don't move," The human says. "If you even think about doing anything, my team will open fire." Then, two more humans except smaller and in different attire run forward, in front of the Major.

"Major, what you are doing," the female says. "That gem just saved our bacon!"

"Yeah," The male says. "Our bacon nearly got smashed!"

"Sorry, kids," The one called Major says. "It's a gem. We don't know what its motives are or if it is human friendly. Standard protocol."

"This gem destroyed a Communications Hub in the Himalayas," Steven yells. "I don't think she will pose any threat," The boy turns his head toward Jewel, looking stern. "Will she?" Jewel looks around, and sees everyone's defense tighten. Even the girl, who was carrying swords, puts them up in a fighting position. Concerning everything, all Jewel really wanted to do was get back at the gems. Everything else would shatter for all she cared. But seeing that the gems are trying to capture Earth, and losing, this could really be the break she was waiting for. Anything to get back at Blue Diamond anyway.

"I'm not looking for conflict with the humans," Jewel says. "Just the Homeworld." The human boy smiles, the girl drops her guard but is still glaring daggers but the other humans have not dropped their firearms. Jewel gets up and looks down on the short, black haired human.

"I'm Steven," The boy says. "The girl is Connie and the tallest guy is Major Hamada. We have a lot of work to do so we better get moving."

 **Jewel's character will get more complex as we go on. Hopefully. But anyway I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry I have not uploaded in a while. School is on a tough schedule. But hey, in a while I'll be on Summer Break! But that's also the time band starts. Well, I'll try my best to keep updating my page. See you then.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	22. Chapter 22: The Observer

**Hey, guys! Sorry I've been really stagnant lately. I've been focusing more on my studies lately and as such, I haven't been updating FF lately. So, I can focus now on you guys! So, as usual I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Credit goes to Dante Watterson for creating the character Soren Spessartine and helping me co-write this story and Lexboss for creating the character Jewel. If you have an idea, leave it below and I'll tell you if I can let it work. If you haven't figured it out yet, the production of my stories is Steven Universe, Mass Effect and Destiny. And I've made a Wattpad too, so watch out for that. Anyway, enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: The Observer

Ever since they got back the HQ, activity in Tokyo according to Hamada has gotten better. Activity in Central Tokyo has dropped to a minimum thanks to the drone strikes, effectively bringing Tokyo back into humanity's hands. Meanwhile, the remaining gems in Central retreated into the Suburbs, making the area a medium strength stronghold, considering the amount of time they threw everything together. Shitamachi, meanwhile, stayed more or less the same. They started closing off the bridges and started hourly patrols, which means they are wary off a full scale assault now, and that they're gunning for a fight. This could either be good of bad depending on the situations that play out, but either way, it would make that district extremely hard to get in to. But for now, they need to focus on the Suburbs.

"Speed is key," Hamada says, bringing up the Suburbs on his laptop. "We pull this off, we'll have back our established Military and plus some. It depends on how we attack the Suburbs." Steven looks at the activity in the restaurant. Military forces are modifying and fixing their weapons, and counting their causalities. The militia is doing the same, except they seem to be having a vivid conversation. Ever since they got back, Jewel hasn't really been her rapid, energetic self that Steven saw in battle a few moments ago. She's just been sitting far away from the group, and the only one who went over to talk to her is Sour Cream. Even then, Jewel wouldn't make eye contact. She shyer than he expected.

"We have the advantage of surprise now," Connie says. "The gems didn't know that the attack would happen and their response is golden. If they knew what our goal was, they would have started boosting defense in the Suburbs, sending reinforcements from Shitamachi and they would have started executing or boosting security on the hostages. Either way, sir, you're right. Peridot is a tactical genius. It won't take her long to realize what our game is and she'll start boosting defenses in the area. We need to hit quickly."

"Human lives don't matter in her eyes, though," Steven says. "If she starts doing that, she'll think that we're just trying to drive them out instead of going for the hostages."

"What we need to do is trap them," Connie says. "We send in airstrikes from the drones that attack key points in the stronghold. The gems scramble for battle stations while the drones hit everywhere else, and the second the drones give them breathing room, we head in and shatter them. The ones that we don't get will likely head for Shitamachi."

"Good plan," Hamada says, pulling up zooms on the suburbs. They have one stronghold in each of the districts, with the hostages being held in the Central area of the district. The drones hit the surrounding areas, forcing them into that area and when they clear out, we storm in and hit them where it hurts. We'll have two of our districts from there. On to specifics…" At this point it was up to Connie and Hamada to figure out how this plan would work. Steven turned around to see what everyone was doing. The JGSDF were doing their routines, which was fascinating to watch. They were eating, fixing and modifying their guns, mourning the dead and some were praying. The militia was more or less doing the same thing. The gems were discussing something, except for Soren and Jewel. Soren was practicing some sword techniques outside of the base and Jewel was sitting away from the group, talking with one of the militia members, which on closer inspection, Steven saw to be Sour Cream. Sour was talking to her rather casually, and Jewel was just silently listening, never making eye contact.

Steven walked away from Connie and Hamada to a nearby table and sat in a seat, watching the two talk. It was so interesting to see this side of the gem who Steven assumed to be violent and ruthless. In reality, if it wasn't battle, she is completely shy and anti-social. And it was even more interesting to see Sour Cream interact with her. Cool, suave Sour Cream having a sort-of conversation was a gem who wouldn't even look at him. She would chime in every once in a while, but mainly she was silent. "She's like that silent kid at my old school," Connie said, walking in and sitting next to Steven. "Never interacted with anyone. Never talked or made eye contact. He always sat at the far corner of the cafeteria. Watching. Listening."

"Did you know the kid?" Steven asked.

"Not really," Connie said back. "He was more of an observer than anything. Never took any part in the middle school drama. Like I said. Watching. Listening."

"Sounds disappointing," Steven said, before making a connection. "It sounds like you before we made friends." Connie looked at him with a weird expression on her face. He could not make it out, and he didn't like it. Was she mad? Did he hit a nerve? She responded a few moments later with a curse.

"I was just like him," Connie said. "An observer. You broke me out of my shell, Steven. But that kid. Looking back, I wish I knew him a bit more. He was more like me than I thought. We could have been good friends. And then the war came and now I don't know if he's even alive." Connie grunted and turned toward Steven. "The observers end up getting hurt. I'm lucky I met you." Before Steven could even contemplate this, Connie up and left in a hurry. Steven didn't know any issues like this. He was mainly homeschooled. But there was a hint of a bigger picture. Social isolation. The observers end up getting hurt.

Steven looked at Jewel, who was now alone. Like Sour Cream to only make a quick conversation. He got up and walked over to her, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. "I saw you talking to Sour Cream a bit ago," He said to her. "He seems to like you." Jewel smiled a little bit.

"Humans are nice," She said, looking a bit away. "The gems are really smashing them into the ground, aren't they?" Steven followed her gaze. It was on Sour Cream talking to Jenny and Lars.

"That's a… brutal way of looking at it," Steven said, frowning a bit. "You really want to protect humans?" Jewel snapped her head around to meet Steven's eyes, her eyes glinting with anticipation.

"I want for the Homeworld Diamonds to suffer," She said. "I want their gems to be held to the fire for all of the things they did to me!" Steven flinched a little bit, mainly because he was not expecting Jewel to change gears like that.

"But Sour Cream," Steven said. "You don't like him?" Jewel sighed, turning her head back toward the group.

"He's a really nice human," Jewel said. "But I don't know anything about Earth. I was only released moments ago." Steven took note that since gems have an infinite timespan, decades and centuries could be to them like minutes.

"You were experimented on under that mountain for all of those years," Steven asked. "Why?"

"I was an 'incubation malfunction'," Jewel stated, huffing. "The gem rebels led by Rose Quartz intended to sabotage the gem making process by fusing one gem's DNA with another's. Originally, I was supposed to be a Pearl. But my DNA got fused with an Emerald and now, here I am. The same," Jewel gestured, exposing her body so that Steven could see her features. "But different."

Steven was amazed at how much that sounded like human reproduction. "And the gems were astonished?"

"They freaked out," Jewel said. "I was a successful birth-fuse. A dominant Pearl with Emerald capabilities. They couldn't comprehend it and the Diamonds took that as an opportunity to make weapons. They ordered research to be green lit, and for centuries I was experimented on. Changed. Demoted. Alienated. I wasn't a Pearl anymore. They 'enhanced' me, tortured me, took control right down to my DNA. And the gem hierarchy was amazed that the mother pearl was so bold as to add some of her DNA as well. I have memories of her, stuck in my head."

Steven was amazed. A mother! Like a human! "Who is the pearl?" He asked. To answer, Jewel pointed at the group of gems.

Garnet. Amethyst.

And Pearl.

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 **Thanks for reading! And I was serious about the whole observer thing. The observer will get hurt. I could go on for hours on how, but the main message is to get to know the observers. Get to know that quiet kid at lunch. Get to speak to the over-working co-worker. You may get a loyal friend out of it. And maybe something more. Thanks for reading. See you on the next chapter.**

 **God bless and keep you, JPLegends**


	23. Chapter 23: A Push Inland

**Happy Mom's Day, guys! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, everything has been so insane lately. I really am sorry. So, I have a multitude of projects of coming in the not-so-distant-but-just-a-little-bit-out-there future. I have plans for a Zelda story, an Until Dawn story and another Mass Effect story. Also, I have the first few chapters down in a fantasy story for Wattpad. Go check out JPLegends on WP and read "The Blade of Dragon's Blade," book one in the "Warrior of the Aegis" series. Special thanks to Dante Watterson for co-writing and providing a character and Lexboss for providing our newest character. If you have a criticism or story idea or whatnot, leave a review saying so. Enjoy the read!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: A Push Inland

"Wait, wait, wait," Connie said for the billionth time to Steven. "So, Jewel was a subject of a human type incubation between and Emerald and Pearl?! Our Pearl?!" Her voice was full of excitement.

"Yeah!" Steven said, with as much excitement as Connie. They were sitting on a boat getting ready to strike the suburbs' gem stronghold. The plan would be to follow up on a series of drone strikes on the island, and kick the gems while they were down. This would allow the gems; shattered, defenseless and confused, to gun for a fight they didn't expect. It would be difficult, seeing as the militia stayed in Central Tokyo. But as of now, Steven and Connie were way too surprised that Pearl is technically Jewel's biological mother! Hamada was sitting at the front of the boat, looking into the vast, far away island shore.

A series of yellow flashes and smoke flew into the air from the island. A smile grew on Hamada's lips. "The strike begins. Everyone, storm our island! Leave no alien alive!" The boats start up and race across the waters, as the explosions become more frequent and precise, going deeper into the island. Steven and Connie put in their earplugs, preparing to go on shore.

"Plan is we have small teams begin to push into the island at different angles," Hamad says, shoving a clip into his rifle. "Once the five initial drone strikes are finished, we go in and make a direct push to the central base, fighting off bogeys as we go. We hit the base, save the civilians and hold down the fort no matter what. The drones will be circling the island so any foreign craft that comes in will be shot down. Strike one is over, teams. Hit the shore and move up at my order." The array of boats hits the shore and soldiers near and far begin to climb above shore, moving up to the island. Hamada's team, which consisted of Steven, Connie, Hamada and two JGSDF soldiers, were in a beach area with cars, concrete remains of buildings and trash cans scattered throughout the scene. A little bit away, an emerald green tower structure was on fire and crumbling apart. Hamada slid behind a trash can, the two soldiers went behind a concrete remain and Steven and Connie went behind a car. The team was scattered about, but there wasn't too much distance between each other, the shore and the upper area of the island. A little while away, gunfire started up and Hamada whistled. A little bit ahead was three gem soldiers.

The Major was the first to open fire, firing a burst of bullets from his gun. The bullets hit one gem straight in the chest, where he was stunned but his gem was nowhere near the chest. Hamada went behind cover quickly, and the three gems open fire. The one of the two soldiers moves around the sight and stays behind cover a little bit away from the gems. Steven turns toward Connie and nods his head toward the gems. Connie nods back, understanding what comes next. Steven summons his shield and springs from cover into the open. One of the gems shoots at him but Steven blocks it with his weapon. Connie leaps from his shoulder, sending her flying into the gem. She swings her blade, which makes the gem immediately poof. The gems, confused, turn and aim at Connie. Before anything else could happen, the soldier opens fire on one of the gems, making him poof. Steven throws his shield into the gem's head. It stuns him, giving Connie enough time to swing and poof the gem soldier.

A little bit away, another series of explosions, more frequent and aggressive, occurs off in the distance. After the fire dies down, Hamada says into the radio, "That's strike two. How are we on manpower?"

"This is Team Sword, we've taken one casualty," Garnet says into the radio. "We're good to go, otherwise."

"This is Team Bow, we have two injuries," Pearl says. "We can muscle through."

"This is Team Dagger, we are in tip top shape," Soren says. "We are ready to go."

"This is Team Hammer, we have two casualties and everyone else is injured," Amethyst says, sounding grim. "We are in no shape to continue."

"This is Team Warhead, we have one injury," Jewel says. "We are good to go."

"Copy, teams," Hamada says. "Hammer stay back. Everyone push forward." From that point out, the teams were moving from place to place in great strides. The gems seem to have been ordered to retreat, because there were rarely any encounters. After the fourth drone strike, everything went silent. Teams Hammer and Sword had to fall back to the boats, and other than that, everything was going according to plan. Hamada's team wound their way through collapsed gem towers, destroyed strongholds, shattered gems and ruins of the suburbs. Within an hour, everyone made it to the main base. When they got to the base, they found that the walls and inside were on fire and being faced with explosions. "Drone strike five is under way," Hamada says, his team in cover behind some ruins nearby the green base. "Bird's eye view shows many gems on the interior of the walls. Omega Sword, Bow, Dagger, Hammer and Warhead, do your thing." Steven had been ordered to stay behind as support for the JGSDF. The people Hamada called were Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Soren and Jewel.

Inside the base, gems started getting taken out. In five minutes, Garnet radioed "All clear."

"Copy Omega Sword," Hamada radios back. "Initiating drone orbital patrol of the island. Teams, head in." Hamada's team rolled out and along with seventeen other soldiers into the main doors of the walls of the base. They walked in to find the Crystal Gems stomping on the remaining gems that have not been shattered. The twenty-two soldiers gather around and look at the building.

"A warehouse," Connie noted. "They got fortifications set up around the area and the hostages would be somewhere around here. There should be a mild gem infestation." Hamada shouts something in Japanese at some soldiers. Two of them flank each side of the main door and four more surround the door.

"We breach the building," Hamada says to everyone. "Steven, you use your shield for fire cover. If you are fired upon, Kogara and Shinaku throw smoke grenades inside the building. The gems take them out and we advance into the warehouse. We search until we find the hostages. Agreed?" Steven nods. He walks up to the door and summons a massive shield. The strain pulls at his gem, making sweat drip down his face. The soldier on the left opens the door. Steven closes his eyes, expecting the exhausting strain of his shield being beaten on. Seconds later, bullets begin to hit his shield. Steven gasps, getting down on one knee. The strain was painful, tears welled in his eyes. The soldiers each threw in a smoke grenade as the fire continued. Everything in Steven burned, and his gem felt like it was going to rip right off. Even though it was a few seconds, the pain felt like it took forever. A gush of wind flew past and the firing stopped. Steven, exhausted, made his shield disappear and he crumpled. He was caught, prevented from hitting the floor.

"Woah, there," Connie said, as she held Steven up. "That really took everything out of you." Steven's muscles ached and he felt tired. He simply smiled and got to his feet.

"I'm fine," Steven says, balancing carefully. "Thanks." Hamada shouts something in his native tongue and the soldiers storm the building. While Hamada and his company take a left wing, Steven, Connie and the gems head the other way. Any resistance the gems could have picked up fell as the team quickly took the base with almost no issues. The gems were drove out by Hamada's team while Steven's team scoured the area. When on the top floor, the search team finds a room filled with civilians and soldiers, sitting and waiting. Some were looking out a window. Every bit of attention turned to Steven, Connie and the gems when they entered the room. "Hey, you guys," Steven yelled. "We found the hostages."

"This is Hamada," the major says through the radio. "All remaining gems are shattered or have evacuated. Sending drones for clean-up. We're headed to rendezvous on your location." Minutes later, Hamada's team came in to the room. "Excellent," He said. "Half of you take care of the civilians and soldiers. The rest hunker down. This is our new FOB."

After that, the gems decided to leave the suburbs and Central Tokyo alone, and started gunning for an attack in Shitamachi. A quick skirmish through the area allowed all of the civilians and JGSDF soldiers to be rescued and sent to the new base. Only a matter of time before the final push, but first, the citizens need to be sent home.

* * *

 **Sorry if the chapter seemed like it was half-baked. I didn't plan this far ahead and I forgot about Mr. B's four Ps. Go check out my Wattpad again. Happy Mother's Day! I'll see you next chapter.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	24. Chapter 24: We Fight For

**NYEH! I have no idea what I just did. Anyway, hey guys! I would have uploaded this earlier if FanFiction was not a butt and decided not to accept this into my documents. Also, Band camp is over for a few weeks so I can get to writing. Watch not write one chapter. Anyways, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have any criticisms about the writing or my style, please leave a review. I always look to get better. Read on, good sirs!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: What We Fight For

"We have our territory and we're ready to jump into Shitamachi," Hamada says. "We need to get a plan of action for the next set of events. I need a drone in that sky and we need the civilians out of here." Everyone was rushing from place to place. This is it. It would be time to drive the gems out of Tokyo and to bring the fight in their favor for once in months. And with the new soldiers lining up to fight and the civilians on the docks, everyone is gunning for a fight.

"Major," Connie asks. "If you don't mind me asking, where would the civilians be going?"

"Yilan City, Taiwan," Hamada says, looking up at the young girl. "That's where they'll be safest."

"So close to the shore?" Steven asks.

"With as little intelligence as we have," Hamada says. "We know that the gems started focusing on the largest cities. Tokyo, Washington, London, Moscow, Bankok. We know they still are because SATLINT suggests the Mediterranean is untouched. And the only true areas of destruction that continue include larger cities. Including Washington, London, Moscow and Bangkok. Taiwan is a rather small island in the gems' eyes. And with the area under attack, Shanghai and Hong Kong have been suggesting that the surrounding areas send refugees to Taiwan. And until Asia's major areas are gone, Taiwan is a safe haven." Connie nods and Hamada looks straight at Steven. The boy felt awkward for a second before he breaks the biggest bomb ever: "You gave us a fighting chance. You helped us when no one else could. We'll help wherever we can. You're amazing, Steven Universe."

"Heh," Steven laughs, awkwardly. "Thanks, I guess." Connie grins and looks at Hamada, turning serious.

"What's our move, Major?" She asks. Hamada pulls up a map of the surrounding area and draws a circle around the district.

"Full on assault," Hamada says, pointing to an area toward the south. "We open with a drone strike here, and carve in a few blocks up. Then we put a platoon of soldiers here to hold as a distraction. While they have the enemy's attention, we run in from the south-east and lead a charge with the drones backing us to the center of the district."

"What's in the center?" Connie asks.

"Some sort of camp with strange devices towering over the area," Hamada says, pulling up pictures of diamond shaped tri-pods. "We don't know what it is, but it's effecting the earth around it." Garnet walks forward pushing through the soldiers. She stares at the pictures and smiles.

"They're setting up a Kindergarten," She says. "Those are Injectors. They are making more gems for their army. They can be destroyed with your technology. But when they explode, the blast will have a large radius." Hamada nods.

"We'll stay within radio contact then," Hamada says. "There are more 'Kindergartens' within close proximity of each other. Domino effect. We destroy one in the center, all of them explode. Which means the only area where we'll be safe is here," Hamada circles an area on the map in the south-east of the site, half way between the district border and the Kindergarten in the center. "It should be relatively quick."

"What about the team at the south," Steven asks. "They'll be killed. You can't do that." Everyone stays quiet. Garnet speaks next, not baring to look Steven in the eye.

"Steven, there is a big chance a large portion of the group will die anyways," Garnet says. "Without a distraction, the drones and Hamada's team will never make it to the central Kindergarten. I'm sorry."

"You're sending them to their death," Connie shouts. "You can't do that! They'll either be caught in an explosion or be overwhelmed by the gem forces. It's a suicide mission!"

"What do you suggest we do?" Hamada says, clearly losing his patience.

"Why not send the Crystal Gems with them," Steven asks. "They can help keep them alive."

"No," Hamada says, shaking his head. "No no no, we need the gems to help us get the drones to the area! We'll never make it without them!"

"The entire point of the other team is to be a distraction," Steven says. "They'll be taking the majority of the defenses, including Peridot and Obsidian. Your team can survive without them, especially with that short of a journey. If the gems go over there, nothing will change except more lives will be saved."

"And once the gems notice the strategy, they'll come running for you," Connie says. "Our gems can help keep the more dangerous of them in place."

"ENOUGH," Hamada yells, smacking the table. "Steven, I don't lead the Crystal Gems. So who goes with who is up to you. But know this: no matter who the gems support, people will die. You cannot save them all. Trust me, I know from experience." Hamada stands straight up and looks around the table. "Any other comments? No? Good. Let's get the civilians out of here. We attack tonight. Dismissed." Steven looks over at Garnet, who just looks at him and walks away. No future vision predictions or advice. Steven grunts and walks off, wanting to watch the refugees take off.

An hour later, Steven is sitting on a brick wall, watching the boats drift off from land. The sunset is certainly beautiful but it acts as a vice. Looking away, Steven turns around and sees Jewel, standing under a cherry blossom, the petals gently falling around her. The boy drops from the wall and walks toward the gem, seeing a new expression on Jewel's face. It was not passive aggressive or shy like she was prior. Instead, she's filled with wonder and awe. Like someone watching snow fall for the first time. Hard to believe that this tree survived the gems' attack. "It's pretty, isn't it?" Steven says.

"Beautiful," Jewel says, catching a few petals in her hand. "The mountains, the oceans, the fauna. Everything about Earth is so remarkable. I've never seen a tree like this in my life."

"We used to have one in Beach City," Steven says, grinning. "It got cut down by a hologram holding a balloon. Long story." Jewel's shoulders rise and fall, in the form of a laugh.

"Is this what you fight for," Jewel asks. "Earth's beauty?"

"We fight for a lot of things," Steven says, picking a petal from the ground. "Beauty, people, legacy. You know any of that?" Jewel's face becomes more solemn, a tiny smile on her face.

"Earth is beautiful," She says. "Your people have been kind to me. Especially one. Sour Cream," a blue flush crossed her nose. "Your kind and your Earth. It's all so beautiful. I thought I could only satisfy myself by destroying the Diamonds. Maybe, there is something more."

"We all fight for different reasons," Steven says. "Garnet finds Earth to be the place where she can be whole, Pearl wants to preserve the legacy of my mom, Amethyst wants to protect her only home, Soren…hates the Diamonds. I want to be what everybody wants me to be. I fight to be stronger, so I can help protect the Earth, my friends, my… well, you get the picture." Jewel looks to the sky, smiling. The birth of a new Crystal Gem.

* * *

 **Do the gems help Team 1 or Team 2? I'll round up what you say and write the chapter around it. Remember, every action has consequences and a crucial character to this arc may die here. So think and choose. I can wait. See you next chapter!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	25. Chapter 25: Spearhead

**Hey guys! How are you? Are you good? Good! Now surprisingly, no one voted! No one, zip, nada. So, I'll run it my way! MWAHAHAHAHA! Aaaaaaaaaanyways, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Special thanks to Dante Watterson, Lexboss and Blissfulbloom. You guys are awesome. If you have a criticism, leave a review! Yay… have fun reading!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Spearhead

Everyone sits in the Humvees, waiting for the assault. Nerves are wracked, people are nervous. But at the same time, there is adrenaline rushing through everyone's brain. Excitement. Fear. Steven definitely felt this, the same feeling before every mission. Excitement, anticipation. But there is a little bit of fear in him. The gems could win at any moment and completely decimate the human race. Thankfully, his team was carrying the same weight. And they were there to support him every step of the way. Especially Connie, who held tight to his hand. Hamada was going over the plan as they went. "Right off the gate we take a road and head straight into Koto," Hamada explains. "On my signal, we stop all movement and call in the drones. From there, the central injector will be destroyed and we will win. As for the secondary team, they are to be stationed Bunkyo and stay there, holding the line as long as possible." The Humvees stop and they wait for a signal. The entire team, people were talking to each other.

"This is really happening," Connie says. "Humanity is going to get its first win. Probably." Steven grins and looks down at their hands.

"Remember when we first met, and that giant worm gem thing tried to hurt us," Steven says. "That is not exactly how I would have wanted to meet you at first, but imagine if we didn't meet. I wouldn't have such a great combat partner, a great best friend, an awesome jam bud."

"Yeah," Connie says, laughing. "I wouldn't have a friend, I wouldn't be happy and when the invasion hit, I don't know. I owe a lot to you."

"You don't owe me anything," Steven says. "I'm glad I'm sitting through this with you." (Hi, narrator here. I could say that their cheeks were red and crimson and they loved each other. I ship it too, but I know you are expecting that, so what they do is up to your imagination.) Eventually, they hear a loud boom in the distance. Team one had begun their assault and a flurry of Japanese speech flooded the earpieces. Steven looked at Garnet beside him. Garnet looked back at him in silent expressionlessness and simply shook her head. Steven felt his stomach disappear. Connie grasped onto his hand tighter. The first team will not leave the encounter. Not a single one of them. The Humvees take off quickly down a road until they stop. Hamada says something in Japanese and the driver says something back. Hamada swears. "What's wrong?" Steven asks.

"A gem blockade," Hamada says. "Our destination is a few blocks down. We need to move." Steven looks at Connie with an "I have an idea" face. They head outside and see a large assortment of gems outside. Garnet crosses her arms and sneers.

"Peridot and Obsidian are on their way," Garnet says, staring down the blockade. "We need to be snappy, or things will not end well for our mission." Soren and Amethyst pair up as do Pearl and Jewel. Steven whistles and Lion appears, incredibly hostile to the gems taking position in front of them. Steven hops on Lion's back, helping Connie up and stares down the blockade. Lion charges at the gems and roars, causing multiple gems to fly back. With that, the Crystal Gems, militia and JGSDF begin to clear out through the blockade. Minutes go by and Steven and Connie are fighting through a horde, poofing gem after gem. Steven taking the defensive, Connie the offensive. The team goes through the group quickly only to be met by the people who they did not want to see: Peridot and Obsidian.

"Look who it is," Obsidian says. "Looks like your little campaign ends here."

"Nah," Steven says. "Looks like you're out of your depth. So, maybe you should give us back our city or we'll pry it from you." Obsidian sneers. They are blocking the way to the point where they have to call in the drones. They have to get past them to get to them. Out of nowhere, Garnet comes in and charges straight for Obsidian. In a flash, Garnet manages to throw Obsidian across the battlefield and goes after him. Peridot pulls out her cannon from her limb enhancers and points it at Garnet's back. Steven summons his shield and jumps out in the way of the cannon. Peridot fires the green energy and it hits Steven's shield. Peridot screeches.

"Why can't you crystal clods just leave me alone?!" Peridot yells, waving her arms in the air. Connie slips behind Steven, sword drawn. Steven pulls his shield back and Connie steps up on it, allowing Steven to propel her forward. Peridot aims her cannon at her and Steven throws his shield right for Peridot's nose, knocking her off balance. The shield comes back to Steven and Connie kicks Peridot, causing her to fall back. Steven runs in next to Connie as the militia and JGSDF run past them, headed straight for the small area to call in the drones. While Peridot gets up, she aims her blaster at Steven, who blocks the blast with her shield. Connie leaps behind her and Peridot swings her cylinder limb behind her to hit Connie. Connie blocks it with the sword and Steven smacks Peridot in the head with the shield. The green gem swings the enhancer back forward into said shield and Connie saw an excellent opportunity: she stabs at Peridot's limb enhancer. The device explodes and the finger devices fall to the floor.

"Eeek," Peridot yells. "You clods! I will shatter you!" She charges up her blaster and points it point blank at Connie. Steven pulls her arm back and it blasts at the ground, leaving a small crater in the ground. Peridot kicks out and Connie instinctively swipes, cutting the foot. Steven lifts up Peridot and Connie stabs at Peridot's other foot destroying it. Steven drops Peridot and sends his shield onto the other hand. All enhancers are destroyed and Peridot goes ballistic. "MY LIMB ENHANCERS," She yells. "NO!" They look forward and see the team crouching down under cover and the drones fly overhead. Over the noise of the engines, Peridot screeches and something horrible happens. A green shockwave explodes from a building and covers the entire district and the drones stop working, crashing into the ground. An EMP. Steven turns back to Peridot who starts cackling. Things could not get any worse.

Then they did. A horde of gems come forward and begin firing on the team. Steven summons his bubble shield, allowing him and Connie to be safe. And a little bit away he sees a soldier get gunned down. Said soldier hits the floor and begins to bleed out. And the soldier that is headed to death happens to be Major Hamada. Somebody yells run and the group runs for their lives until they get away from the gems and head inside an apartment complex. Everyone hunkers down in there and they sit around while the militia take guard near the entry points. They lost. Hamada is dead and the first team is likely dead. Everyone is on their own. A dark cloud hung over everyone and Jewel managed to be optimistic.

"An EMP hit the district," Jewel says. "I saw where it came from. It was on one of the taller complexes. A team can take out the device and we can take out the Injector!" Pearl was not amused.

"I doubt that will work," Pearl says. "That won't work. It's over." Soren looks up and straight at Jewel.

"I like the idea," Soren says. "We can do this. Besides, we can't just let them win!" Pearl gets up, steaming.

"You don't have the authority to make that decision," Pearl yells. "You can't just offer plans that won't work! And it won't work because we're trapped here! The gems are going to find us and we're all going to die! They won! We can't do anything!" Jewel turns Pearl around and glares at Pearl.

"How could you say that," Jewel says. "Aren't we Crystal Gems? Defenders of Earth? I refuse to go down without a fight!"

"You aren't a Crystal Gem," Pearl yells. "And I'm being realistic! We simply cannot win here! And if you think otherwise, maybe you should leave and try it yourself!" Jewel simply stares at Pearl and then nods. She then turns on her heel and leaves the complex lobby. Pearl crosses her arms.

"PEARL," Steven yells. "What was that?! Jewel was right, how _could_ you say that?! We can't just give up now!"

"Steven," Pearl says. "You don't get it."

"Maybe, maybe not," Steven yells. "But we _are_ the defenders of Earth! We're supposed to fight no matter what! Besides, why are you so hostile toward Soren and Jewel?"

"Steven," Pearl says. "They're from Homeworld! How could you trust them?"

"Because they're not loyal to Homeworld anymore," Steven yells. "Weren't you from Homeworld? Didn't you deflect to protect Earth? Soren and Jewel are doing the same and you just sent one of them to their death! If you can't work with our team, then don't act for team!" Pearl looked simply flabbergasted and Garnet stared at her. Pearl sat down and covered her eyes. Gun shots were heard outside. The gems are here. They have to fight them off.

* * *

 **Well, this is what happens when you don't vote. Enjoy the next chapter in a few days. Have fun waiting.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	26. Chapter 26: Jewel's Counter Attack

**Hey guys! There will be a part where you have to vote. So vote or suffer the consequences. Anyways, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have an idea criticism or want to donate an OC or idea, message me or Dante Watterson. Speaking about Dante, special thanks to him, Lexboss and BlissfulBloom for donating characters to the storyline. Enjoy reading!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Jewel's Counter Attack

Not a Crystal Gem. Not being trusted. Jewel simply is not going to accept Pearl's pent up frustration. She believes that they can still win. And by the looks of it, Steven and his crew are being attacked by the gems. And they won't be able to hold out long. No drones to support, only human weapons and advanced gem technology. If Jewel wants to make sure no one dies, she has to take out the EMP. And there happens to be a shockwave of green electric bubble spawning the district, making every human based tech useless. The bubble expands every few seconds, providing a constant black out. The device spawning the shockwave is a few blocks away and is high up. And there happens to be a number of ships in the distance moving in. Jewel move from rooftop to rooftop, around the building and gets a vantage point next to the building. The ships drop off Peridot with new limb enhancers, Obsidian and a group of gem soldiers at the EMP. Peridot runs over to the device and pulls up a holo-screen from her peg fingers. Obsidian stands over her, watching the process and the soldiers just stand there. About six of them.

Jewel summons her sword and leaps over to the rooftop. She lands in front of a soldier and swings the blade. Poof, gem falls on the floor. Five left. The gems try to take position, running into place. Jewel cartwheels to the side, landing next to a soldier. Swing, poof. Another soldiers springs to a halt and points his gun. Jewel leaps in the air, stabbing at the soldier. Poof. Three left. The three left try to run into place. Jewel summons metal at the feet of the one in the far back, making it fall. Jewel swings at the one nearest. Poof. Another runs in and tries to smack Jewel with its gun. Jewel makes metal envelope her hand and punches it, making it fly into a nearby building. The remaining one aims its gun. Jewel rushes in, shoves the gun to the ground and stabs it, poof. Soldiers down. Jewel turns around and sees Obsidian summon his trident and Peridot sneak behind the device. "Fend the clod off," Peridot yells. "I need to finish my modifications!" The device hums and makes a snapping noise, making the green shockwave burst out.

Jewel is thrown back, covering her eyes. Obsidian swings his trident at Jewel's feet, tripping her. Jewel falls down seeing Obsidian ready to stab his trident. Jewel rolls to the side and gets up in a crouch, watching the gem pull out his trident. Jewel runs forward, ready to stab at Obsidian's gem. Obsidian traps the sword between his trident prongs and with a twist, snaps the sword. With no weapon, Obsidian moves in and grabs Jewel's calf, tossing her over his head and slamming her into the concrete. Jewel rolls over and looks at Obsidian, rolling in. Jewel summons a new sword and cartwheels again, avoiding Obsidian's stab. Now slightly behind Obsidian, Jewel swings, slicing at a joint in the knee. Obsidian falls to his knee and stabs at Jewel like a javelin with his trident. Jewel drops to the floor on her back, reaches out with her legs and twists the trident from Obsidian's grip. She pushes up to her feet, watching as Obsidian rises and tries to punch. Jewel ducks around it, grabs the hand and throws Obsidian at a nearby building, making it collapse around him and disappear.

Jewel runs behind the device and sees Peridot tapping at her screen. Jewel grabs her limb enhanced hand and spins her around grabbing her shirt and pulling her close. "Peridot," Jewel says, staring into Peridot's face. "What modifications did you make? How do you shut this thing down?"

"I'll never talk to you, you lumpy clumpy clod!" Peridot yells. She punches at Jewel and the gem blocks it.

"Suit yourself." Jewel says, throwing Peridot over the building's edge. Jewel runs over to the screen hovering in the air. The gem mumbo jumbo basically said every time the device detected a user other than Peridot, it would shut down, re-encrypt itself and keep running. Frustrated Jewel punches the screen. She looks at the large device. Eight feet tall, shaped like a small metal cylinder with a yellow diamond on top, producing green electricity. If Jewel wanted to shut it down, she would have to do it the old fashioned way. Doubting her sword could do the trick, she came up with the conclusion to pick up and throw the device. And conveniently, the main injector was a few blocks away. If she was able to destroy it with the device, it could mean a win for the Crystal Gems.

"Jewel," Steven's voice said. "Was that you? That building just collapsed!" Jewel looks around and doesn't see Steven anywhere.

"Yes," Jewel says. "Where are you? How can I hear you?"

"I can telepathically communicate with gems through neural stimulation from the brain to the gem while in rest," Steven says. "Whatever that means, that's what Pearl says. I can talk to gems while I'm asleep. Which is why I had Amethyst knock me out!"

"What?" Jewel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it," Steven says. "Are you with the EMP?"

"Yes," Jewel says. "But I can't turn it off. I have to destroy it. I can chuck it at the Injector nearby. We can win the battle this way." Jewel takes the device by the bottom and lifts it up, ready to toss.

"What, no," Steven says. "We're still in the blast zone! Do you know how many of the soldiers will die? We already lost too many. Here, throw it at the group outside our corner. They'll be taken out and we can group up at the safe place and throw everything we have at it!" Jewel's knees tremble and her muscles ache. She breathes slowly.

"This is more effective," Jewel says. "Besides, there are still gems crawling around. We have no idea what kind of resistance we'll be facing. And what we have isn't all that much. We can win faster this way." Jewel begins sweating. She can't take much more of this pressure.

"That's not the point," Steven says. "Less people will die in the blast! You want to be a Crystal Gem! Being one means protecting all humans! The code is simple and I taught you it! 'Fight for life on the planet Earth. Defend all human beings, even the ones you don't understand. Believe in love that is out of anyone's control…"

"And then risk everything for it." Jewel says. The pressure built on her being, and her entire body trembles. She has to throw the device now. But in which direction?

* * *

 **Which direction, readers? At the Injector that stands in the way of victory or defeat for the Crystal Gems, or at the platoon in front of the Crystal Gems, to further prolong the relevance of Rose Quartz's manifesto? There are pros and cons to each side, and it's up to YOU to figure out which way to throw. Choose wisely. OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	27. Chapter 27: The Result of Chaos

**IT HAS BEGUN! BAND HAS STARTED! NOOOOOOOO! Eh, I love it. Anyways, the results were unanimous! You wanted to defend the gems! Enjoy the outcome! Mwahahahahahaha! Okay, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or idea, message me or Dante Watterson. Special thanks to Dante, Lexboss and Blissfulbloom for providing characters and ideas. Enjoy!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: The Result of Chaos

"For Earth, for victory," Jewel wanted to say 'for vengeance.' But Steven showed her something more. If she wants to defend Earth, she has to do it right. "For the Crystal Gems!" She turns and tosses the EMP toward the platoon a few blocks away. It explodes in a massive green blast and all the gems outside of the area poof. Jewel leaps back to the area to see the group holding over. About six of the JGSDF are dead, the militia are sitting and checking their gear and Amethyst is waking up Steven. Steven, Connie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Soren approach her. Steven and Connie hugging her, Amethyst laughing hysterically, Soren and Garnet patting her back and Pearl looking away.

"That was amazing!" Steven chants.

"I knew you could do it!" Soren says.

"Way to show the Crystal Gems." Garnet says, grinning. Pearl walks forward, an eyebrow up.

"How did you know that would work?" Pearl asks. Jewel grins putting her arms around everyone's shoulders.

"Pearls need to have a sharp mind," Jewel says. "And a sharper affinity for determination." Pearl's eyes widen.

"You're a pearl?" She asks, sounding awed. Steven sighs, shaking his head.

"Can't you see Pearl," Steven asks. "The way she moves, talks, fights."

"I'm your pearl," Jewel says, her eyes welling up. "When you volunteered to make the perfect fusion. It was me." Pearl just stares, her cheeks flushed bright blue. No words were exchanged, so Jewel started the next subject. "So, what happens now? How do we take out the Injector?"

"The drones are down and we're stuck on the ground," Soren says. "We need something to crack it far enough and make it explode."

"Right, so we take a small team," Connie says. "I'm with Steven. Who else?"

"I can launch my gauntlets and have them explode on impact," Garnet says, summoning her weapons. "I'm in."

"I can keep crowd control with my fire," Soren says, nodding. "I'm in too."

"I'm going too." Pearl says. Jewel turns and takes her shoulders, shaking her head.

"No, Pearl, I'll go," Jewel says. "I'm stronger physically. You need to stay here and help hold the line." Pearl nods and steps back.

"Right, Amethyst," Pearl says to the purple gem. "You're with me too. We'll hold out here and keep the humans in line."

"That's me, Connie, Soren, Garnet and Jewel," Steven says. "Before the Injector explodes, everyone get close. I'll raise my bubble shield."

"Break!" Garnet says. Steven and the team sprint away while Pearl starts barking orders at the humans. They run through the streets, following where the ground gets dull and the concrete cracks. "Through the plaza." Garnet yells. They enter a mall area with fountains, bushes and cherry blossoms and right in the center is the main Injector, glowing yellow and making a loud banging sound. Around the area, a platoon of gem soldiers take position in front of the group, aiming their blasters and holding position. Above them, Obsidian comes down and summons his trident, stepping in front of the group.

"Well, well, well," Obsidian sneers. "What do you have here? A human-gem fusion, a suicidal human, a lost lab rat, a stupid defector and a weapon brandished everywhere. You've cost my Diamond a lot of trouble. Good thing your strategy was pretty obvious." Steven looks around. If anyone tries anything, they'll mow the team down. Steven looked around to see a red flag. If they could burn it to get their attention, then the gems could get to the Injector. Soren steps forward, apparently getting the memo.

"Well, looks like you can't catch the drift," Soren says, smirking. "You stepped right into our trap." Steven moves over and taps Jewel's shoulder, pointing at the flag. Jewel nods and points at the flag, a blue spark coming out.

"A bluff," Obsidian says. "Your attempt to deceive us is as predictable as it is banal. Enjoy being shattered." The flag goes up in flames and the gems turn, firing their blasters at the burning fabric. Soren leaps forward and shoots out fire from his hands, forcing the gems back. Soren summons his sword, and the others their weapons. Soren splits into five holographic copies and begins to attack the gems in the area, clearing the area with more fire. Meanwhile, Steven and Connie run forward to fight Obsidian while Garnet and Jewel try to jump up to the second level as some gems take up vantage points. Steven tosses Connie with his shield over Obsidian's head and they surround him.

"So, Obsidian," Steven says. "How does it feel that you're about to lose this territory? You think Yellow Diamond'll like it?" Obsidian stabs at Steven rapidly, which is blocked by Steven and Connie swings at his back. Obsidian turns and swings at Connie, who steps out of the way as Steven throws his shield at Obsidian's neck. Steven and Connie meet up and Obsidian turns, approaching them angrily. "Ah! Spin me!" Steven says. Connie spins Steven and dips him, and when he comes up, they fuse into Stevonnie. Obsidian staggers back, a look of disgust and confusion struck across him face. Stevonnie jumps, kicking Obsidian back, before taking a battle stance.

"You don't like me like this," She says. "Tut-tut-tut. Shame." Stevonnie charges forward, stabbing at Obsidian. The gem blocks with his trident and tries to attack at her in return, which Stevonnie blocks with the shield. This process goes back and forth while Stevonnie has an inner conversation on strategy. 'Jeez, he's fast!' 'Pretty good defense too. We need something to catch him off guard.' 'A kick?' 'Maybe, we need an opening. Focus!' 'AHHHH!' Obsidian swung his trident at Stevonnie, who reacted just in time to block the swing but get knocked back a little. 'Found it!' Stevonnie swings at an exposed spot in Obsidian's side. The hit lands, and Obsidian winces a bit, attempting to stab down at Stevonnie. The fusion dodges, using the shield to knock Obsidian's hand aside and throw him into a store nearby. Stevonnie looks to see Jewel keeping the attacking gems at a distance while Garnet leaps back onto ground level and launches her gauntlets like missiles at the giant gem on the Injector. A deep crack runs down its side, but it still functions in an operational manner.

Garnet frowns, regenerating her hands, as Obsidian comes out of nowhere and grabs Stevonnie's ankle. He lifts her up and smashes her into the ground, proceeding to stomp on her stomach. Garnet tackles Obsidian and Stevonnie un-fuses, aching in pain. "Ow," Steven says. "Connie, you okay?" Connie nods, holding her stomach firmly. Steven looks back over to Garnet, who punches Obsidian and Jewel comes down, swinging wildly at the homeworld gem. Garnet leaps back, eying the Injector.

"It won't crack further," She says. "We need something to make it implode." Soren leaps back, looks at the Injector and then turns to Garnet.

"Throw me," Soren says. "I know what to do. C'mon!" Garnet stares him down then lifts him up by the collar of his trench coat.

"Blue flames." Garnet says. She then leaps in the air and chucks Soren at the Injector. Soren in turn produces a spiral of blue fire and as he lands, sends it wrapping around the crystal. The crystal glows yellow, then red, then bright pink as more cracks begin to flood the crystal.

"SOREN!" Steven yells. Soren leaps from the Injector and straight for the group of gems, now together. The homeworld gems had teleported out of the area. Jewel grabs Soren's hand and pulls him down to the group. Steven pulls his bubble shield and a split second later, the Injector explodes. The force sends the bubble flying as Garnet grabs Steven and Connie. They can see nothing, just fire and smoke and bright lights. They stay in the air, scared and weightless for several seconds until they land hard and keep rolling. Eventually, the bubble stops but the fire keeps flowing around them. They wait until all that is left is smoke and steam. And when that clears up, Steven releases the bubble. All of the gems falling flat on the floor. Steven looks up and around. No sound, just spiraling smoke and the daylight shining in the distance. His shock turns into excitement and he begins laughing.

"WE WON!" Steven yells, hugging Connie in joy as the other gems gather around and cheer in victory. Pearl and Amethyst run up in the distance, followed by the militia and JGSDF. Everyone cries sweet tears of joy, and laugh together. They won. It's over.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"Armory, sweet armory," Steven exclaims. "It's good to see you again!" The militia had arrived in the armory again and the now healed survivors came up to greet them.

"Hey, sweetie," Mrs. Maheswaran said. "How was Tokyo?"

"Could have been better." Connie responded. Everyone got back together to talk and mourn those that fell. Eventually, Soren did a check with his data and had requested for a gathering. He everyone gathered in the center and Soren pulled up his data from the last time out. He cleared his throat and everyone listened.

"Due to our cooperation with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, we now have access to data stored in the UN and their war against the gems," Soren says, pulling up a map of Earth. "Civilians have been gathered on small scattered areas and humanity has begun its counter attack. They have lost the larger cities, consisting of Shanghai, Beijing, Delhi, Istanbul, Mumbai, Moscow, Cairo, Jakarta, London, New York, Bangkok and Mexico City. But they have started putting up strongholds around what they have and started pushing territory with guerilla attacks. We have turned the tables in the war!" A large array of applause breaks out and Soren grins in victory. He raises his hand and everything stops. "We now have access to United Nations operations. As it stands, we have been requested to help push the gems out of an area in Brazil, who are headed for a nuclear weapons silo."

"What does the UN need for nuclear weapons?" Mr. Maheswaran asks. Soren pulls up a statistics chart.

"They are especially effective against Homeworld technology," Soren responds. "Before the war, you have only ever had two nuclear attacks raised against an enemy. Now, we have twenty."

"What significance will this op have to do with our war?" Mrs. Maheswaran asks. Soren puts down his screen and looks at the group.

"The UN has agreed to help us with any other operations if we secure Brazil's silo," Soren says with a grin. "And we happened to find our Skywatcher. I'm tracking it and it seems to be in Brazil, with the rest of the coup. The plan is we fortify the defenses around the silo and then hit them where they live. And if we can, we take down the Skywatcher."

"Are you sure this'll work?" Pearl asks.

"I'm positive," Soren responds, straightning up. "If there's a chink in the armor, we'll find it. We shaped up and ship out soon. We did well. Dismissed."

* * *

 **The Summer of Steven has been masterful! Drop Beat Dad was great, Too Short to Ride was great, Beach City Drift was great, The New Lars was okay. But Mr. Greg! MR. GREG! Amazing. Simply a masterpiece. I can't wait.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**


	28. Chapter 28: Dancing To New Forms

" **I wanna be your vacuum cleaner, breathin' in your dust. I wanna be your Ford Cortina, I won't ever rust. If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot. You call the shots, babe. I just wanna be yours." If you can guess that song, I'll give you a cookie. So, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a comment or critique, please leave a review. Please enjoy this chapter, which likely will not be that good today.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Dancing To New Forms

"Steven!" Connie's voice rung out, snapping Steven out of his trance. He was a thousand miles away and this had been the fifth time Connie had tried to get his attention. Steven looked up at her. He was sitting on the platform in the armory as everyone was either training or chatting. Steven rubbed his eyes. Tears were welling there. 'Poor Steven,' he thought to himself jokingly. 'Cry baby.' "Are you okay?" Connie asked, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah." Steven said, exhaling. Connie rolled her eyes, grabbing Steven's shoulder.

"I know when you're lying," Connie says. "What is it?" Steven's shoulders rise and fell in the form of a small laugh. He can't hide anything from her.

"The war," Steven says, laying back on the rock staring at the cave ceiling. "We're with the UN, we're starting to fight back. But we lost so much. Hamada, Buck. Ronaldo, Dewey, countless others. It's haunting…" Connie takes Steven's hand.

"I have the confidence that you'll get us through," Connie says. "Who else could have done this? Not Garnet, not Pearl. Definitely not Amethyst. You're doing the best you can. No one can know what will happen in the future. But we all have faith you can do this." Steven laughs. A genuine laugh of joy.

"You make it sound like a video game." Steven says.

"Yeah, you're my commander," Connie says, making them both laugh hard. "I mean who else is there. An alien hidden behind a mask? A series of genderless aliens? Well…" They laugh for a good two minutes before calming down and Connie stands up, offering a hand. Steven takes hers and they begin dancing. Awkward dance, about as graceful as two teenagers can dance. But it was still nice. They had no idea where the closeness of dancing comes from. For gems, that's about the most intimate action you can do without it being fusion. Guess he and Connie have fused so many times that they have skewed human and gem definitions of closeness.

"Do we know where we're going in Brazil?" Steven asks.

"Yeah," Connie replies. "Soren says the UN silo is in the middle of four river bodies and lake bodies. Strange guy."

"It still baffles me you don't trust Soren." Steven says.

"It's complicated," Connie says. "He doesn't exactly use the most caution. He nearly burned you to a crisp when you two met and hasn't been that open since. Well, he's become at least acquainted with Amethyst." Steven turns his head slightly to see Soren and Amethyst dancing. A very similar dancing style. Clumsy, energetic yet purposeful. Soren grins in her presence a lot. "Hello, what am I seeing here?" Connie says. Steven turns his head to see Sour Cream holding out a hand for Jewel. Jewel, really timid, takes his hand and they dance. Sour Cream, energetic and experienced, while Jewel is dancing timidly, clumsily and excitedly. They continue dancing for a few minutes until a sound like a pop goes off and Jewel yells out. Connie drops Steven in shock and Steven in turn looks to see something amazing.

In place of Amethyst and Soren was one nine foot tall gem standing spread out. A burgundy tone was attached to her skin, wearing a long trench coat with a hood that only covers tow out of four arms, a tank top under that coat with sweat pants and knee-high combat boots. Her hair is a deep and rich purple, reaching down to her shoulders and her violet eyes awoke, with a certain excitement. Her gem was on her chest and tongue. She looked around for a second and then went in a melancholy voice, "What is this? This is…great!" The fusion stumbles for a second, laughing in a careless manner. Steven runs forward and looks up at them.

"Soren, Amethyst," Steven yells. "Is that you?" The fusion turns and poses in a prideful manner.

"Yup," the fusion says. "Am I not great?"

"Who are you?" Steven asks, which causes Agate to put her finger to her lip.

"Erm, Agate," the fusion says in more of a question than a statement, falling while at it. "Um, yeah, Blue Lace Agate. That sounds about right! Jeez, never had long legs before. Never fused with a gem other that a Spessartite either! Hah! Guess I'm full of surprises."

"But what's your weapon?" Steven asks, ecstatically. Agate does a flip and gets on her feet and summons Amethyst's whip and Soren's sword, crossing them. It forms a long burgundy, flexible pole and a violet hilt with a star at the end. Agate holds it in both hands and snickers.

"I don't know what this thing is! But I know how to use it!" Agate leaps in the air and whacks it at the water, the stiff whip-like weapon making the water it hits evaporate. "And check this out." Agate lights the weapon on fire and swings it through the air, creating a wave of fire fly over the air. Garnet and Pearl rush in to see what is happening. Agate turns to see them and says "Hey, Garnet! Like this new fusion? It's awesome! I have fire!" Agate summons fire in her hands.

"Unfuse!" Garnet yells. The response causes Agate to stutter.

"W-what?" Agate says in Soren and Amethyst's voices before unfusing. Amethyst and Soren get up to face the response. Amethyst gets up to confront them directly while Soren sits there completely stunned. "But why?" Amethyst and Soren say in chorus.

"It's new, you two," Garnet says. "We don't know what the new fusion can do. It'd be safer not to test it in our only base. Soren, how are you?" Soren looks completely stunned by the question.

"Umm, good," Soren says. "That was…amazing." Garnet stares at him analytically then back to Amethyst.

"We're done," Garnet says. "Soren, when are we good to go for the Amazon?"

"In a little bit." Soren says. Taking the hint, he gets up and sprints back to his quarters. Amethyst rolls her eyes and run away. Steven walks up to Garnet.

"You don't trust Soren?" Steven asks.

"Yes and no," Garnet says. "But fusion is an entirely different matter. They aren't safe together or for everyone else. Not until they practice more often."

"Why?" Steven asks.

"Amethyst is brash, Soren is confident," Garnet answers. "Amethyst is straightforward, Soren is calculated. Amethyst prefers pummeling her enemies into submission, Soren gives no mercy. Given the wrong circumstance, those two can be more unstable than Sugilite. It's nothing against them, Steven. They just need to learn to control themselves." Garnet walks away, as the look in Agate's eye suddenly makes more sense to Steven.

* * *

 **AGATE! AGATE! AGATE! BLUE LACE AGATE!**


	29. Chapter 29: Coup de Theatre

**I just participated in the best football game ever and this is only because there was an awesome battle of bands. We won, of course. Obviously. So, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a comment or critique, please leave a review. I do story requests as well. Please enjoy this chapter! Because it's one of those things where I HAVE to wing it.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Coup de Theatre

The militia hopped through the warp pads in force, with the healed soldiers who had to sit through Tokyo going with them. Headed into the Amazon didn't seem all that dangerous at all and it was a five mile ride from their point to the UN Base. But it was deceptively dangerous in the area. Connie pointed out that lots of wildlife was in the area, including tons of predators. Compared to the annoying howler monkeys, there were attacks on the militia by vampire bats, harpy eagles and even a fer-de-lance. Steven was very busy on the trip keeping everyone healed that by the end of the ride he was dehydrated and had to ask for water from the UN. He downed three bottles in under a minute.

When they arrived, a soldier in green camo uniform approached them and saluted Garnet. "Captain Jason McKreavey," the soldier said in a British accent. "I was assigned a platoon so we could set up fortifications. We heard we would get assistance from the team that managed to take back Tokyo. A bit younger than I expected." Steven and Connie looked at each other.

"Is that a problem, captain?" Garnet asks.

"Not at all," Captain McKreavey replies, shaking his head. "We're glad to have the support. After we're done here, we can help you do what you need to do. Make yourself at home." Steven takes in the features of the British soldier. Tall, medium build. He wore a helmet and sunglasses, which helped because it was bright and humid in the forest. He has tan skin, and from what Steven could see, strawberry blond hair. He looked around the camp site. There was a small complex that looked unremarkable, but the way the camp as set up, it was obvious it is an important site. Erected walls made of rusted iron, watch towers, turrets and soldiers rushing around to do whatever they were doing. Steven noticed the soldiers here were of numerous nationalities.

"You look like you're about to do something big." Connie says.

"Doesn't look like much from here, but we're in deep," McKreavey says. "Gems have us surrounded on all fronts and we have no time or breathing room. I was given a platoon of sixty to take this area. By the time we set up these fortifications up, we were down to forty." Steven winced. The gems are merciless in their fight.

"You're team must be skilled to not lose more men in one fight," Pearl says. "The Earth was lost in a matter of minutes when they arrived." McKreavey turns and motions at the entire camp. He takes up all the space possible.

"We have the most elite worldwide in this mission," He says. "Engineers from America, Special Ops from France, Demolitionists from Russia, you name it. We have people from San Francisco to New Zealand and everywhere in between. Which is why it's a shame so many were lost on one op." Garnet walks forward and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"We know it's rough," She says. "But you're here for a good cause." McKreavey shrugs her hand off, nodding.

"I got the memo," He says. "I hate not being in Leeds. It's where I was born and brought up. But nuclear weapons are apparently the best bet we have against these guys. Strange that that the gems are focusing on the Americas though. No offense, but we're getting pounded into the ground and the gems could end us in an instant. They're looking for something." Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Soren and Jewel look at one another. Could the gems be looking for their base? "I'll see you in the situation room. God help us all."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The situation room is deeper in the complex, which is larger than expected. The building goes deep underground with some barracks, an armory, a mess hall and a situation room and at the very bottom is the silos holding the missiles. Steven found it to be huge, but did not get to see it all. The team gather around a circular table, with McKreavey, Steven, Connie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Soren on site. Jewel decided not to come to the meeting out of pure shyness. On the table was a map of the area and models displaying where they and the enemy are. In the center is a square displaying the base and surrounding the base are three hands to the west and six hexagons. "The gems move with intention to take this base and they are this close," McKreavey states. "These are the troops headed toward us, with more on standby. We need to take out those ships and the ground troops."

"Why not use the missiles," Soren says. "We have the strongest weapon, why not use it?"

"Many reasons," McKreavey says. "We'd be caught in the blast. The fallout would insure no one in the area survives. The blast would give away our position. It's typically a bad idea." Soren rolls his eyes. "We can engage the troops on the ground with our military. Problem is the ships would ruin everything. We don't have any weapons that can destroy them from the outside."

"Could we get inside the ships?" Connie asks.

"We can forget about breaking in." McKreavey says.

"What about sneaking in?" Steven asks. Everyone in the room looks around and back at the model.

"It could work," Garnet says. "We need someone who can take us aboard as hostages so we can hijack one of the ships and use it to take the other two out. A crash landing would work to finish it off. But who is the gem who can get us on board?"

"I can do it," Soren says, standing up straight. "The Spessartine is the most common shock trooper type gem as compared to the Ruby's straightforward brute style methods. It would be believable for me to capture them." No arguments were made.

"Pearl and I will stay on the ground," Garnet says, turning to Amethyst. "As for you and Jewel, it would be tough to say. You would be useful in the open space of the Amazon, but your brutal abilities can make it hard to keep ranks together, leading to casualties. As compared to the crowded and cramped gem ship, which you would be very useful in as well, but may lead to some unnecessary damage. Either way, it's up to Steven. Some soldiers from your team may make the team much easier, captain. Four in number. One trained in combat, one trained in technology, one trained in explosives and one trained in infiltration." McKreavey nods, pulling out some dossiers.

"We've got donations from Special Forces and even some domestic agencies. Eight of them are on standby for an op," McKreavey says. "For your soldier, we have Damon Shay. Special Activities Division, specializes in hostage situations. Good with a gun, and is a careful man. A decade of experience. We also have Jacque Delaquay. French RAID team, specializes in counter-terrorism. Handy in tough situations. Five years of experience.

"For your engineer, we have Aleks Slipnovk. Russian FSB, specializes in drones and EMPs. Smart as a whip but is a slow guy. Three years of experience. We also have Trip Bard. Australian ASIS, basically their version of Q. But he's a lot tougher than that guy from the movies and can hold his own in a fight. Ten years of experience.

"For your explosives, we have Eike Mallard. German BND, usually outfits agents with explosives. He can fire a gun pretty well though. Six years of experience. Then there is Cruz Davidi, Brazilian. Used to rob banks, no military record. But he's very unpredictable. Useful, but dangerous.

"And then, our infiltrator. Kiyoshi Riku, Japanese DIH. Ninjas still exist, guys and I know because this guy is it. He personally studied the arts of stealth and use them in day to day combat. He is a beast. Then, we have Damien Chase. My very own MI5. He's basically James Bond. Who you choose is up to you."

"As for the ground forces?" Connie asks. Steven looks at the field. Six hexagons surround the base from east to west. Three of them are in the area where the infiltration of the ships will go down.

"Not a lot of options," McKreavey grunts. "They're all so close to the area here all we can really do is engage and wait."

"Not really," Pearl points out. "Look here. There is wild life all around the area. You can get their attention and get them to follow you to the water bodies in the area. The caiman and sharks can help you take them down when they enter the water. Either that or duel it out in the open area."

"But even then, us taking the time to get to that area would risk a ton of casualties," McKreavey says. "It all comes down to that."

* * *

 **I know that was a lot of information to take in but it boils down to this: Should Amethyst and Jewel be on the ground or on the ship? What soldiers should go with the gems, one of each category? And should the ground battle take place over land or water? Think carefully, because THE UPCOMMING BATTLE IS VERY IMPORTANT.**


	30. Chapter 30: Airship Down

**Ahem. YOU PICKED, AND YOU GOT… Damon, Trip, Cruz and Kiyoshi for the op team, Amethyst and Jewel on the ship and the ground team on the water. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review. I hope you enjoy the chapter, because this was a really tough one to write.**

 **God Bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY: Airship Down

The battle had begun. Steven and Connie were getting a lot of interference, covered by static. "Once we're inside the ship, you won't be able to use your communication devices," Soren says. "We're alone from this point forward." Steven replied with a tongue-in-cheek "okie dookie" which covered his nervousness he always had before a battle. Connie squeezed his hand, obviously nervous too. She was biting her lower lip. Anything could go wrong here and they had to be careful. Supporting them was the team: Damon Shay, Trip Bard, Cruz Davidi and Kiyoshi Riku. Damon was dressed in a black vest, combat clothing and an assault mask. He had an automatic rifle on his back, with Soren holding the rounds. He was calm, collected. He had second thoughts about bringing Steven and Connie along, but he didn't question McKreavey's authority. Trip was wearing a light indigo outfit with a backpack filled with gadgets and his sub-machine gun, which Soren also held the rounds. His face was bearing, showing close cropped blond hair, icy blue eyes and a croppy outline of a beard that covered his pale skin. Cruz meanwhile had much darker skin, with black oily hair and equally as dark eyes that glinted with determination. Cruz was wearing a dark uniform and a backpack with explosives with a large pistol. Kiyoshi did not show his face, and he held a small knapsack with who knows what and a silenced pistol, wearing dark navy clothing and armor. Soren had on the military gem gear to pass as a homeworld soldier.

Soren made it to the battleground and got to the gems. He found a Jasper commanding the field of chaos as they fired at the UN. The UN was backing up surely, leading them unwittingly to the river. The Jasper chilled Steven, looking steadfast and confident. She turned to Soren, with a grin on her face. "Is that the leader of the Rebellion, Spessartine," She asked, looking square at Steven. "Give me your ID."

"Soren Spessartine Facet-5A3L Cut-8NA." Soren replied, coming up with a random ID on the spot.

"Peridot," the Jasper yelled out. "Get this Spessartine to the ship. He is to hand these soldiers and Rose Quartz over to the Diamonds and then is to be made a Pearl. Go!" A Peridot runs up, not the Peridot Steven or anyone else know, and looks at the Jasper. She nods and the so-called captives run forward and get in a green orb that then hovers over the battlefield and into a ship. The pod opens and the Peridot exits, showing up with four gem soldiers.

"Right," the Peridot says in a shrill voice. "These humans and Rose Quartz are to be retained and given to Yellow Diamond." Soren takes off his helmet and summons his sword, running forward and swinging at the Peridot. The gem is poofed and Steven summons his shield, the soldiers lining up behind him. Soren, Amethyst and Jewel run forward and poof the other gems with a series of short attacks with their weapons. Jewel takes a final gem by the face plate and smashes it into the wall, creating a rip in the side of the ship as the soldier goes flying into the forest. Soren turns and gives the team their ammo.

"Great," Kiyoshi says in a deep voice. "They know we're here."

"We need to move ASAP," Damon says. "The ships were moving toward the battle when we got here. We need to deactivate the weapons and send these things crashing down."

"The ship's weapons are a diverse set of artillery controlled from the center of the ship by a Peridot," Soren says, showing a hologram of the design on his gauntlets. "We need to get to that room, destroy everything inside and get to the bridge. There's not enough time to do both separately. We need to split up."

"Amethyst and I will go for the weapon room," Jewel says. "You guys head for the bridge." Soren nods.

"Okay, the bridge is accessed through a series of halls through and elevator nearby," Soren says. "We lay low and fight our way to the bridge." They open the door and there is a platoon of gem soldiers aiming their weapons at the team. They fire their bullets at them, taking them by surprise. Steven summons his bubble shield, shielding him and Connie from the incoming wave of bullets. However, the others take cover behind the door and the op team rolls out of the way. Cruz, however, isn't so lucky. He is quickly riddled with bullets and falls to the floor, dead. Steven looks away from his team mate's corpse and tries to keep his breathing intact. It was so brutal, quick. He shakes the thought out of its head. The gunfire is so loud and confusing and there are so many soldiers that it's practically impossible to poke your head out without dying. He looks over at Cruz's knapsack, thinking.

"Connie, I'm dropping the bubble." Steven says, summoning his shield and extending it to the size of his body. She nods and gets behind Steven, grabbing onto his shoulder. He drops the bubble and the bullets begin stressing on his shield. His muscles ache and he sweats. The pressure is a lot to handle, but Steven has to get it done. Steven walks over to Cruz's dead body, blood draining from his body. He takes the knapsack and looks inside. An assortment of explosives such as grenades, bombs and Molotov Cocktails. He pulls a Molotov and throws it at the gem soldiers. There is a loud shatter and _fwoosh_ , as the hall fills with fire and the area fills with fire. The soldiers stop firing and Steven takes away his shield, exhaling heavily. The pressure put on his shield drained him. 'Focus,' Steven reminds himself. 'Act immediately.' He throws the bag to Damon, who grabs it and wraps it around his shoulder. "Amethyst!" Steven yells, punching his fist into his hand. Amethyst summons her whip and Steven summons his bubble, fitting it with spikes. He has to thank Pearl for training them to do this. Amethyst wraps her whip around the spiked bubble and throws him over the fire and into the platoon of gems, scattering them and poofing a few. The rest of the gems and op team pop in through the fire and Connie steps in next to Steven, preparing to fight.

Connie jumps forward and swings her sword at a gem, poofing it. The gems surround them and one aims a gun at them, about to shoot. Connie notices another gem about to do the same, in a matter of seconds, nearly every gem is aiming. They have to act fast. Steven jumps in front of the first one who fires their gun and it is deflected by Steven's shield. Steven raises his shield for Connie, who lands on it and uses it as momentum for the gem to poof. Two more gems about to fire. Connie slides under Steven's legs, sprinting at one gem, spinning and swinging. This poofs the gem. Steven, meanwhile, throws his shield at the other gem and stuns him allowing him to catch the shield, run forward and swing the shield, decapitating the gem and poofing it. Now the rest of the gems aim and fire at once, Steven summons his bubble and Connie slides in behind, taking over from the fire. "Hey batter batter swing!" Steven yells. Connie swings and hits the bubble, sending it forward and flattening three gems, the rest scattering. Steven lowers the bubble and brings his shield crashing down on the gem below him, Connie stabbing at the gem next to him. The third gem, meanwhile, gets up and trips, trying to get away. Steven notices another gem aiming at him and throws his shield, smacking him and making him drop his gun. Two more get on their flank, aiming.

Steven and Connie make eye contact, nodding. Steven ducks and Connie vaults over him, poofing the surprised gem. Steven throws his shield and breaks the gem's neck, poofing it. Steven catches it and takes another look around. One nearby, another in close proximity to Connie. Connie swings and poof that gem. The other one runs away out of fear. Steven throws his shield, and it ricochets from the floor to the gem's legs to the ceiling back to Steven. The gem falls and Steven throws at the ceiling, ricochets to the head, shattering it and back to him. Steven smiles satisfied. He looks around, the entire platoon is down, the op team reloading. "When Captain America throws his mighty shield!" Trip sings. Steven grins and laughs. The Australian's voice is like butter. Amethyst and Jewel are gone, on their way to the weapon room. The team makes their way to the elevator.

"I don't like this," Kiyoshi says, looking around. "There is likely going to be more gems than we can handle."

"What do you suggest?" Damon asks. Soren pulls his holographic interface and looks at the map of the ship.

"Not much we can do here," Soren says. "A series of hallways pretty much take us straight to the bridge from here."

"Anything we can use to sneak under them," Kiyoshi asks. "Like air ducts? Service tunnels?" Soren adjusts his map to show the duct interfaces.

"A coolant tunnel to keep the tech on the ships cool," the gem says. "It heads to the bridge."

"We can sneak past them by using the tunnels," Trip suggests. "I've got turrets to hold the illusion and we can use a smoke bomb engineered for extra effect." Kiyoshi nods. Trips sets down three turrets and a motion-trigger smoke bomb and tear gas dispenser. Meanwhile, Kiyoshi takes apart the hatch on the floor and set a signal. "Looks like we're sneaking through the carpal tunnels." Trip jokes. Connie laughs. Steven meanwhile is completely lost. It probably has something to do with the anatomy of hands. There is a faint _boom_ that they hear. Must be Amethyst and Jewel's handy work. They're causing tons of damage. The elevator stops and Kiyoshi opens the hatch. They drop into the tunnels and close the hatch as the elevator opens. There is the sound of gunfire and smoke. Their ploy worked. They sneak through the ducts and listen for what's going on up top.

"Nothing," A gem says. "Turn the entire ship over and find them! They will not rip our chance of victory away from us." The pompous, angry voice sounded like Blue Diamond.

"My Diamond," The voice of Obsidian says. "With the incident in the Target Room, we're stretched thin. We cannot do this much longer. We need to lose the ship before anything drastic happens." Blue Diamond laughs.

"I like the cut of your gem," the Diamond says. "No wonder Yellow Diamond likes you so much. Fine then. Send an execution order to the other ships. This is to be destroyed, let's get out of here." Damon swears silently.

"Don't lose your luster," Soren jokes. "We're nearly finished. It sounds like Amethyst and Jewel are causing all kinds of chaos. That's a bonus." After another minute, they find themselves in the bridge. Kiyoshi pops out of the vent and wraps his legs around the neck of a gem. Twisting, the gem falls and Kiyoshi pulls his pistol, firing at the other gems in the room. Soren pops out and splits into multiple copies, using fire to pop, burn and scorch everything and every gem in the room. With the room cleared, Damon, Trip and Kiyoshi run to the door and take point. Trip places down a turret and Soren swears. "They're coming. And Blue Diamond doesn't care about friendly casualties. We need to hurry." Steven stands sentry at the door and the gems set up at the end of the hall. There is a massive fire fight and the humans seem to be holding their own. Steven turns around to see Soren at the head of the ship, his eyes enthralled with data. "One ship in front of us, priming to fire. Another below, doing the same." In front, Steven sees a ship shaped like a hand and it fires a green beam of energy. Multiple explosions and the ship shakes. Soren bites his lip and Steven sees the ship ahead of them hit with a beam in the finger joints. Then again in the palm. And finally in the center. The ship below them is firing relentlessly as the one in front explodes. One down, two to go.

Soren unfortunately caught on that the ship already took too much damage and will not last soon. So he backs behind the ship below them and takes a nose dive. The ships collide, finders to back of hand and a massive crash takes place, explosions everywhere. "Bleeders, come in," Soren says. "Plan is botched. Meet up ASAP." They run out of the bridge door and see that the gems ran away. No one could blame them, explosions were going off left and right and the ship is in critical condition. The same reason why the escape pods won't work. Around them, the ship goes dark and the halls are on fire. Eventually, they find Amethyst and Jewel and they reunite. In the middle of a hallway, the ships are about to explode. Soren grabs Amethyst's hands and yells "Fuse with me!"

"What?!" Amethyst asks, her cheeks dark violet.

"We can escape this here and now," Soren says. "All we have to do is fuse!" Amethyst nods and the two merge in light, growing taller until Steven sees the familiar look of a massive coat, tank top, sweat pants and combat boots. Four arms, violet eyes on fire with the sensation of excitement and shoulder length hair deep purple. Agate is back and she is cramped in the small hall way.

"Oh jeez," Agate says, looking around. "Erm…I've got this!" She pulls out her riding crop weapon and makes it catch on fire. "Steven, bubble the team!" Steven summons the bubble around him and the others as Agate slams the crop into the floor, causing a massive and loud explosion. Steven's ears ring and when the smoke clears, Agate grabs the bubble and grasps it firmly in her front two limbs, dropping onto the other ship. She looks around as the ships fall down to the forest. Steven looks at the trees hurtling toward them, and the fire behind them about to make the ships explode. "I need a propellant," Agate says. "Damon, give me the bag!" Damon looks at Cruz's bag wrapped around his waist.

"Everyone grab onto one another!" Steven yells. They form a chain to one another and Steven lowers the bubble, grabbing onto Agate's coat. Damon throws the bag to Agate, who catches it easily. Steven brings them in closer and reforms the bubble. That's safest for them to be right now. Agate chucks the bag of grenades, C4 and Molotov Cocktails back into the ship and summons a fireball after it. Then, she jumps off of the ship. And behind them, one massive explosion engulfs the air as Agate enters a free fall. Steven hears the radio slowly coming back into recognition and Agate free falls into the jungle. She lands, creating a small crater and sending dust up into the air. She lets the bubble to the dirt land and Steven releases the bubble, immediately threating any broken limbs from the landing. After half an hour, everyone is in well condition Agate lays there, asleep.

"This is SAV Operative Damon Shay," Damon says. "We have resulted in one casualty, but our op is a success. What is your progress, over?"

"Land Op success," A soldier says on the other line. "Whatever hasn't been killed retreated once their command gave the order. We have thirty casualties, thank God it wasn't higher. You're plan to put the battle in the marshes worked really well. Wait…patching Captain McKreavey in."

"Mr. Universe, we're in your debt," McKreavey says. "An escort is on their way to pick you up. Whatever you need next, it's yours."

"This is Steven Universe," Steven calls in. "We need your help taking out the big one."

* * *

 **I'm sorry this took forever! I really am! It's just school and band and work! I can never get any work done!**


	31. Chapter 31: Prelude(Decision Chapter)

**THERE IS A CHOICE THIS CHAPTER! MAKE SURE TO MAKE A CHOICE! By the way, for all the numbers I used here, I did the math! So, these scenarios are 100% plausible. So, with that out of the way, I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review. I hope you enjoy this chapter. And PLEASE MAKE A CHOICE!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: Prelude(Decision Chapter)

McKreavey's UN team and Steven's militia met back up in the war room, gathering around the table and the massive six fingered ship hologram hovering over the forest. The Skywatcher. Steven grinned. The illusion they've been chasing and fighting to get to, right here at their fingertips. All they have to do is get aboard and the Diamonds' influence will be weakened once more. They have to take this chance. Soren brings up the information they have on Blue Diamond's flagship. Everyone listens intently.

"The ship has been hiding in the distance away from the fight," Soren says. "It has a land army and a fleet of ships surrounding it, meaning we can't get close enough mid-air to enter it. Ballistics surrounding the entrance, armor that can withstand heat of one thousand kelvin and if conflict starts, it'll leave as fast as it arrived. So, it's impossible to enter and penetrate the armor. That being said, how do we get inside?" Everyone looks around and murmurs. Steven cannot think of anything. Then McKreavey speaks up.

"Let's start with something simple," he says, sounding a little flustered. "How can we destroy the ship in the first place? Blow it up? Shoot it down?"

"Either," Soren says. "We can destroy it from the inside out by detonating the engine. That or we could shoot out the rockets and then invade it from there. We cannot destroy it from the outside, which is the problem here. Destroying the engine would require a relative amount of plastic explosives, relatively what amounts to four pounds of your equivalent to C-4 to break the barrier and let the ship combust. However, we would have to find a way to enter the ship and find a way to the engine." Steven thinks back to when he and the rest of the Crystal Gems were captured by Jasper and Peridot. The ship had exploded the same way as according to Garnet.

"And then there's the issue with Obsidian and Blue Diamond," Connie says, crossing her arms. "Not an easy route. How do we get in first?" Soren contemplates this question.

"We can't get in the same way we did when we attacked the ships," Soren says. "And they'll be in lockdown. Nuclear warheads will not do in this scenario. If we could simulate a ship wide emergency, a small attack team could sneak in through the exhaust vents through pent up energy."

"What emergency are we talking about here," McKreavey asks. "Fire? Pressure?" Soren thinks about this. Then he pulls up the simulation of the ship.

"If we could get missiles and fighter jets to target at these points," Soren says, highlighting the finger joints, and the middle of the palm. "The ship should not be able to retreat because the pressure built in those points will restrict the movement of energy. When the steam exits the ducts, the gems should be able to get in and take out the core and whatever is inside."

"I've got Blue Diamond," Jewel says. "I'll be able to take her on."

"We'll take on Obsidian," Steven says. "The rest of you should be able to push forward. Plant, detonate, no more Skywatcher. And like that, the Gems are losing the war."

"But a lot of people will die if we take this option," McKreavey says. "Too many people will die. And our chances of winning will decrease the longer we take. Are options are not that good in the first place. Is there another option? What's the hull made out of?"

"A tungsten-steel-titanium split alloy," Pearl says. "Pretty much impossible to impenetrate."

"How much heat can it withstand?" McKreavey asks.

"6,936 degrees kelvin," Soren says. "What's your plan?" McKreavey has a grin on his face.

"The US Navy, before the War started made a laser weapon called XN-1 LaWS, which can produce up to 12, 026 degrees kelvin, more than enough to cut through this thing like butter. We can put in a request for the new model, XN-2, which is much weaker but is still capable of doing the job. We can put in a request for the weapon and use it to attack the ship." Steven stares in amazement.

"I thought lasers were only science fiction!" Connie says in equal amazement.

"Human ingenuity is more proficient than I thought." Pearl says, grinning.

"The problem is the time we get it," Soren says. "When can we get the weapon?"

"A day," McKreavey says. "The US fleet is nearby with the weapon on standby."

"By the time we get it, the Skywatcher will be extremely close," Soren says. "Once it is shot down, our military will have to withstand a massive attack. The explosive is more proficient."

"The XN-2 will cause less military losses," McKreavey says. "Either way, we requested your help. What should we do?"

* * *

 **THE CHOICE IS YOURS! Should we use an explosion, or the laser weapon? Vote now! And the chapter proceeding will be epic!**


	32. Chapter 32: Firestorm

**Hey guys! Sorry I was gone for so long. In between exams and band and concerts, it's been really difficult to keep up with this. But I am not in Winter Break! AND THE EARTH REJOICES! Seriously though, I'll try to make this stuff pump out as often as possible. So YOU CHOOSE THE LASER because of course you would. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Special thanks to DanteWatterson and LexBoss for characters! If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review! I hope you enjoy.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: Firestorm

Steven was many things. Anxious, excited, nervous. The "Second Gem War for Earth" as the Crystal Gems put leads to this. This is what it's been building up to! Giving humanity the necessities to fight back and giving humanity a fighting chance against the gems; it has all built all up to the Crystal Gems and their Militia to destroy the second Skywatcher. And here is the opportunity. This massive machine on the ground of the Brazilian wilderness. LaWS XN-2: A massive turret with a giant lens on the barrel of the gun. Polished white and sparkling in the sun, with the brand of the American flag on its side. The Crystal Gems stand on the steel wall, staring down at the turret aimed at the giant, six-fingered hand shaped ship about a mile away from them. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Soren, Jewel, Steven and Connie stared at the ship. "This is it," Soren says. "That ship drops from the sky, and we're going to be in for a fight."

"The UN and Militia are rounded up right there," Pearl says. "Let's hope they can take up the challenge of an entire ship filled with elite Homeworld soldiers."

"They can do it," Steven says, sweating intensely. "Have a little faith." Connie grips onto his hand. She's sweating, biting her lower lip. Steven does not know what to do at this point. Does he tell her? This could be their last chance. After many minutes, Steven swallows his pride. "Hey, Co…"

"All right, people," McKreavey yells out into a radio and to the people behind him. "We get that ship down to ground and all hell breaks loose! We're going to fight and if need be, die, for this ground that we stand on! We will show these bastards what happens when you mess with planet Earth, and we will send a message to their leaders making sure that they leave! AND THEY NEVER COME BACK! HOO RAH!" The massive body of infantry echoes ' _HOO RAH_ ' right back at him. "Oculus, fire at the designated zone on my signal. Three. Two. One. FIRE!" Little to no sound, was generated. Just a small hum. Steven saw a blinding light come from the glass and it made him shield his eyes, but there was no colored beam shooting out into the sky. Just a constant flash of light. Steven looks up at the ship and sees a large, orange line carve across into the ship. It was almost mesmerizing, watching the orange liquid lines just fade into existence…

KRAK-KOOM! A massive explosion engulfed the majority of the back of the ship. The roaring fire encumbered the ship, sending ash and smoke into the air alarmingly. Steven watched as a series of chain explosions took place around the ship and the massive hand was enthralled with fire and even more smoke. The fingers dipped into the air, as if begging for a higher deity to save it, but the only thing that could be distinguished from it was part of the palm and the fingers. The rest was just fire, smoke and distorted metal. It stayed like that until crashing down into the ground with a satisfying CRASH! Trees fell, wind was thrown into the UN Base, and a large fire of ash and smoke rose into the sky. Connie fell out of her seat, bringing Steven down with her. Soren was grinning; Amethyst feeling the same, was laughing. Pearl and Jewel had their hands upped over their mouths, shocked. And Garnet sat there, with the slightest smirk on her face.

"MOTHER OF PEARL!" Jewel called out, rather ironically while the majority of the soldiers cheered.

"Alright, now for the hard part," McKreavey shouts out. "We go out and take as much territory from them as possible! You see Blue Diamond, Obsidian or something other than a soldier, report it and let our specialists deal with it! After all, they retook Tokyo! And they're helping us retake Earth! Into battle! GO!" The seven leap off of the wall and charge into the forest toward the pillar of smoke in the sky, with the massive army behind them. Within minutes, they reach the wall of the massive space hand, with a massive crack in it and many gem soldiers waiting outside.

And the fight begins.

Bullets begin flying forward and back, as UN and Militia dive into cover. The controlled chaos of the area makes Steven not be able to realize what is going on around him, and he quickly looks around for his targets. "The humans have to stay here and fight the gems with the best of their abilities," Soren says. "Now, we have to find the Commanders here. Where is Obsidian and Blue Diamond?"

"We have to get into the ship," Garnet says. "It's likely they're inside there. But how do we get inside?" Steven looks around the battlefield, watching as the gems and UN duke it out. Screaming, explosions, bullets flying every which way. The massive cloud of soldiers in the middle are blocking up the entrance to the ship, and there does not seem to be a tangible way to get inside. Unless…

"Connie, c'mere." Steven says, motioning with his hand. Connie gets close and Steven activates his bubble shield. "Garnet, if you can get us through there, we'll have a path to the ship." Garnet stares at Steven for a few seconds, expressionless, and then smiles. Steven looks toward the rest of the gems. "Have you guys got a way to get through that?" Soren nods, with a cocky looking grin on his face. "Let' do it." Soren summons a cyclone of fire, generating multiple copies of him made out of different colors of fire. Garnet grabs the bubble and leaps into the air, overlooking the battle a few feet in the sky. Steven grabs Connie's hand, holding his breath. Then, there was a loud clang as Garnet punches the bubble into the mass of gem soldiers. The two slosh around inside the bubble, trying their best to keep stable while they steamroll over gem after gem, bouncing around and charging with unending momentum over the crowd of soldiers.

After a few seconds, they clear the crowd and fly into the ship, crashing against a wall and arcing through the air. Steven pops his bubble and lands hand first, he and Connie doing a roll to conserve momentum and reduce damage to their body. They finally stop, and they exhale heavily. Steven laughs as Connie chuckles weakly. "That was the worst idea ever, Steven." She says. They look outside, seeing multi-colored explosions approach the crack in the ship. Seconds later, Soren and his copies burst through the crowd of gems, who look at him and fire at him. Steven pulls up his shield, taking the bullets and Soren shooting fire at his enemies. Seconds later, Jewel and Pearl pop through. Seconds after that, Amethyst and Garnet pop through. Jewel sticks her sword into the ground and thrusts her fist into the air. A clear sheet of metal rises from the air and closes them off from the battle outside.

"Very good, Jewel." Pearl says, tapping Jewel's shoulder. Jewel grins, a wild look in her eyes. Heavy footsteps approach the team and they turn into a battle position, summoning weapons. They turn to see Obsidian, trident in hand, looking angry.

"Crystal Gems, ruining everything," Obsidian says, tightening his fist. "You're not getting to Blue Diamond!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Soren says, tilting his head to the side.

"You have no place on this world, traitor," Obsidian snaps. "Those who don't fall in line get harvested by my diamond!"

"Good thing he's not my diamond," Soren says. "Otherwise, this would be a bit of a problem."

"I'LL SHATTER ALL OF YOU," Obsidian yells, swinging his trident around in the air. "THE TRAITOR, THE LAB RAT, ALL OF YOU! HOW DARE YOU OFFEND MY DIAMOND!"

"Yeah, well, we're going after the one here," Soren says. "Have fun while Homeworld falls to pieces!" Obsidian runs forward, immediately being stopped by metal enveloping his foot. Steven looks back to see Jewel's sword to the ground and her fist curled up. She puts her sword in a swinging position, as does Soren, and they run forward. The swing at Obsidian, making him wince and step backward. With Soren and Jewel behind him and the rest enveloping him, Obsidian roars and hurls his trident at Soren. Soren hurls himself out of the way and Obsidian hurls tridents at everyone else.

Soren leaps out at the massive gem and punches him in the face, ripping him from the metal and sending him flying. "I've got Obsidian," Soren says, pulling his sword from his gem. "GO!" Everyone leaves, leaving Soren in a fighting stance. Obsidian rips himself off of the ground, summoning another trident.

"Traitor…" Obsidian growls. Soren swings his sword, taunting the gem.

"Let's see if you can capture me, now." Soren says. They charge at one another, and their blades clash.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steven runs right behind the gems, following them and trying not to listen at the grunts and clanks of the fight Soren and Obsidian are having. Garnet leads the way, predicting where they have to go with their future vision. They run for several minutes until the reality of the situation hits Steven. What if they lose the fight? What will Obsidian do to Soren if they lose? Steven forces the thoughts to the back of his head. This is what matters now.

They run until they reach a dark room with a massive box with black glass. Blue Diamond is typing away at the glass on a holographic terminal. She appears to be quite busy. The team stops yards away from Blue Diamond, who spins around and glares at them. Her braided cyan hair reached down her chest and her eyes radiated hatred and superiority. "Obsidians," She snarls, sounding more pompous than angry. "No use for them, these days, I'm afraid." She summons her revolver, aiming at the gems. "Now, who would like to be turned into a smoldering pile of sludge? I'll have to say, I'm feeling rather generous. So, I won't rip you apart bit by bit. I'll simply end your leader here and now!" She squeezes the trigger, and a bullet heads straight for Steven. He pulls his shield, which absorbs the bullet. Unfortunately, he flies straight back into Garnet, who catches him.

"Hey," Garnet yells. "What makes you think the leader is him, eh?" Blue Diamond spins the revolver a bit in her hand, a grin on her face.

"Good 'ol Yeller always has us on the up-and-up," She says, summoning another revolver. "Very good with information. Too bad she, what's the saying you earthlings have, "has a stick up his bum." She doesn't like to mess around. Too bad, because it's so much fun!" She fires her bullets into the center of the group. They dive out of the way, and take up battle stances. "Oh, you think you can fight me? Come on then! It'll be fun, eh fusion?" The gems leap forward and Blue Diamond flexes her muscles.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Soren counters Obsidian's attacks in every way possible. He swings his swords, countering every blow he gets from the big clod of a gem. He shoots fire at him whenever he can, but Obsidian is putting up one heck of a fight. Soren swings his swords, locking the sword in between two prongs and using the other to stab at Obsidian's gem. Obsidian twists at the trident, making Soren flip over and land on his back. Obsidian aims his trident, preparing to stab into Soren's chest. Soren closes his eyes and summons a massive cyclone of fire, making it twist around him and consuming Obsidian in the flames. Soren makes a ball of fire and eternal momentum, keeping Obsidian in the air. Soren uses his energy to thrust the fire at the wall and he does so, making Obsidian clash against the wall. Soren collapses, attempting not to pass out. That took a lot of his energy. Obsidian stands up easily, swinging his trident so that he's in a fighting stance. He laughs.

"Getting tired already," Obsidian mocks. "I'll make sure to tell your team of your failure once I'm done with you. How do you think they'll take it? I personally want to see how they do, to be honest!" Obsidian tosses his head back, cackling. Soren stands up, his feet wobbling. He summons his sword. He cannot lose the battle. There is too much at stake. _'If I lose, harvest me,'_ Soren thinks to himself. He leaps forward.

He swings his blades ferociously, moving as fast as he can. He takes deep breaths, thinking about his strategy while also responding to Obsidian's restricted movements. He clangs against the main hilt of the trident, watching for telegraphs as Obsidian occasionally swings his trident. After a swing, Soren catches the prongs in one of his swords, and thinking quickly, takes the other blade through the other prongs, intercrossing his swords in an "x" fashion. He swings his feet up to the hilt and uses the laws of gravity to force the weapon to the ground. Obsidian takes the end of the weapon and pulls, making Soren flip and land on his face. Soren rolls and shoots purple fire at Obsidian, who quickly swings his trident to fan the flames away. Soren, gets on his hands, and propels himself away with fire, landing a bit away.

"You Spessartines and your sentimentality," Obsidian laughs. "You can't be fine troopers if you are attached to everything around you, now can you?" Soren leaps forward again, clashing his blades vertically downward. Obsidian catches it with his hilt. "You fight so vigorously," Obsidian rants on. "I wonder what's so special about these people you're squatting with! Who are you so attached to?! Your commander? That rouge servant? The lab rat? The fusion? _The overcooked runt?_ " Soren made this comment hit harder than it was supposed to. He pulls his blades away and leaps, kicking himself and Obsidian back. "Oh, did I hit the nail on the head with that last one?" Obsidian mocks.

"SHUT UP YOU CLOD!" Soren yells, before leaping back in.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blue Diamond is a cocky gem, and she has the skill to back it up. She dodges Pearl's energy blasts, Jewel's metal sheets forcing themselves out of the floor and Garnet's missiles. Amethyst attempts to whip at the diamond, as Steven throws his shield. Blue grabs it and the whip at the same time, using the shield to deflect an energy blast from Pearl and pulls the whip, and thus Amethyst, swinging into Jewel as she prepares an attack. Amethyst and Jewel topple to the floor, and Blue fires her revolvers at Steven, Connie, Garnet and Pearl. They dodge it, except for Pearl, who is instantly poofed. Blue Diamond laughs, saying "Of course the Pearl is the first to go! They're useless in battle! Isn't that right, lab rat?"

Jewel runs forward, swinging her blades at Blue as quickly as possible. Blue dodges them effortlessly, catching one of the blades on her revolver. Jewel takes the other sword and tries to slice at Blue's neck, but Blue catches it with the other revolver. "I defeated you last time, Diamond." Jewel says, growling.

"And I'll poof you this time," Blue says, smiling sadistically. "You'll be my lab rat afterward. You'll never see freedom again." Garnet aims her gauntlets, Blue catching this. She moves herself, prying Jewel's blades in a lock and putting her in the way of Garnet's gauntlets. Garnet launches them from her body like missiles, and they hit Jewel. Poofing her. Blue holds Jewel's gem in her hand, smiling at it. Garnet looks mortified. No one moves. Amethyst is the first to act, rolling in her ball form and smacking Blue in the face. Amethyst grabs Jewel's gem and rolls back over to the gems.

"Good thinking, Amethyst." Garnet says, summoning back her gauntlets. Blue looks like she was going to tear the ship to pieces if it wasn't already destroyed. She charges forward, aiming both of her revolvers at Amethyst. And she fires.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Deflecting a trident stab, Soren aims his next stab at Obsidian's gem. Obsidian deflects it and smacks Soren with the butt of the trident. Soren leaps out as Obsidian swings, getting to a safe distance. He keeps his posture low, breathing heavily. He's exhausted, and he cannot fight much longer. Obsidian laughs. "Why do you keep fighting," Obsidian says, sneering. "This rock is hopeless! You know it, I know it, the Diamonds know it! You're trying to save an Earth that doesn't exist! Why do you keep trying?!" Soren stares Obsidian deep in the eyes and lets himself speak without restraint.

"I fight because humanity has potential," Soren says. "The people, the environments, the resources. They're all so beautiful and limitless. And the fact that they fight against you with such spirit keeps me up and running. Earth refuses to die, and therefore: neither will I." Soren runs forward, stabbing at Obsidian. Obsidian blocks it with the pole of his trident.

"You were honorable on Homeworld," Obsidian snarls. "Had you given the resistance to us, you would have surpassed me! You would be recognized over the galaxies we hold in the palm of our hand! You would have a pearl!"

"I don't need a pearl," Soren says, scanning for openings. "I've got an overcooked runt." Soren swings away one of his swords and swings at Obsidian's knee. Obsidian falls to his knee, allowing Soren to kick him onto his back. Then, he jumps up and stabs Obsidian in the chest. Obsidian screams, struggling to keep himself together. Soren summons a rose made of fire and holds it in his hand. "Rose Quartz was right," He says. "If you have a planet, object, _a person_ that would make you want to lay down your life, that would make the fight worth it." He throws the rose away, and it dissipates. "She fought well. And frankly, I love this planet."

Obsidian groans and poofs. Soren stands over his gem, grinning at his distorted reflection.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .

Steven holds Amethyst's gem in his hand, running a bit away as Garnet duels with Blue fiercely. Garnet punches, right as Blue blocks the hits. Blue is waiting for an opening, and she finds it. When Garnet punches for Blue's face, Blue dodges it and grabs the arm. She then flips Garnet over her shoulder and aims her revolver at her forehead, pulling the trigger. Garnet poofs, and her gems fall toward the floor. Now, it is just Steven and Connie up against Blue Diamond. Blue Diamond looks at Steven, with Connie right behind her. "You're not a problem, runt." Blue says, aiming her revolver. Connie runs and jumps, flipping and slashing her sword at Blue's revolver. The gun drops, and Blue screams. Steven runs forward, leaping at the mid-air Connie, fusing with her.

"We're doing this," Connie's voice says. "Okay!" Stevonnie stands at a fighting stance, her sword and shield drawn. Blue Diamond looks repulsed and instantly points her revolver at the fusion, firing. Stevonnie holds her shield up, deflecting the bullet. She runs forward, sword drawn. Blue Diamond screams.

"NO," Blue screams in fear, firing at Stevonnie. "GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU MONSTER! THAT ISN'T POSSIBLE! NO, STAY AWAY!" Stevonnie blocks all the bullets randomly fired, and swings the sword, knocking the revolver away from her hand. She then turns and kicks Blue Diamond back, straight into the black box. The box cracks, and glass falls from the box. Blue falls to the ground and stares at the box. Then back at Stevonnie, her face pale. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Blue snarls. Blue is then dragged into the box by something unseen, and nothing is seen. Only the sounds of Blue screaming in terror and then the sound of a gem being poofed.

A gem walks out with Blue Diamond's gem in its hand. It has stone grey skin and is very muscular. It appears to be wearing a punk outfit, with a black jacket, tight black pants and black boots, with no shirt and a black square shaped gem in the middle. It's hair was black and untidy, reaching to its shoulders. It's eyes are empty and grey, soulless. It has its long, black, snake-like tongue down its chin, with a green liquid dripping from it and starting to vaporize the floor. Stevonnie is very unsettled as she watches the seven foot gem lumber out into the center of the room. It looks at Blue Diamond's gem, staring at it with a blank emotion.

The gem places the egg shaped gem on its extended tongue, and the tongue curls back until it is inside its mouth. Then, there is a gulping sound and a large lump travels down the gem's throat. Stevonnie, disgusted, staggers back. The gem laughs in a deep, demonic voice. Its eyes glow bright blue. "What's wrong, friend," it says. "You scared? Do you need to fuse?" The gem steps forward extending a hand. Stevonnie watches in fear as the gem reaches toward Amethyst's gem in her hand.

* * *

 **Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you…BLISSFULBLOOM'S OC: ONYX! And this character is messed up. He's** **going to be a great antagonist!**


	33. Chapter 33: Onyx

**Okay! This is going to be one fun chapter to write! I hope you like it! MWAHAHA! I'm not giving much away, just read. I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review. Special thanks to Dante Watterson, LexBoss and BlissfulBloom for submitting their OCs. And man, I'm going to have some fun with BlissfulBloom's OC. Have fun reading!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: Onyx

"Guys, I'm here! What'd I mi…" Soren remarked as he turns the corner into the room to see everyone except Steven and Connie poofed and the new character in the room standing over the fusion. Stevonnie looks over to see Soren's face pale with an expression of terror, and the gem looks over to see him to. The giant grey gem gets a sadistic grin on his face. Soren pulls his swords and shoots a stream of fire at Onyx, who is propelled back into the equipment behind him. Soren leaps over Stevonnie and lands in front of her, assuming a fighting stance. "Get the gems and run! I'll try not to let Onyx not get too close to them! Where's Blue Diamond?"

"H-he ate her!" Stevonnie croaks. Soren swears. The gem, Onyx, rises and summons a weapon. A black crossbow adorned with a skull appears, projecting mist into the air around them, and he aims it at Soren, firing a rapid stream of bolts. Stevonnie thinks to herself ' _we need to unfuse. Now!_ ' They fall apart into Steven and Connie and run around getting the gems. Steven already has Amethyst and he runs to get Ruby and Jewel. Connie ran to pick up Sapphire and Pearl. Once they have the gems, Steven and Connie run to get out of the room, but Steven freezes up. He looks back at the fight. Soren is trying desperately to keep Onyx at bay, who is easily overpowering him. Steven turns to try and help Soren but Connie grabs his arm.

"Come on, we need to go!" Connie yells, tugging roughly at Steven's arm. Steven has tears in his eyes.

"But…"

"I don't want to leave him either," Connie says. "But what would he want? Him or them?" Steven looks down at Ruby, Amethyst and Jewel's gems. He bites back tears and looks back at the fight. Soren doesn't look like he can do much more. Steven turns and runs back with Connie. Outside, they are confronted by three gem soldiers who are talking while they sprint.

"Obsidian's gone, we're checking on Blue Di-ah," a soldier says, as they meet Steven and Connie. "Hold it! We're taking you two to the Diamonds!" Steven summons his shield, holding it in one hand and the gems in the other. The soldiers aim their weapons. Connie waves her arms in a panicked manner.

"Wait," She shouts. "Onyx is loose! If we want to survive we have to leave!"

"Yeah, sure," the soldier says. "Like Onyx would escape. How do you even know about On…" An explosion happens right behind Steven and Connie that staggers them and sends them on their stomachs. Steven looks behind him to see a beaten up Soren fly backward and right in front of the soldiers. He turns backward and glares at the soldiers. Onyx sprints out of the door and aims his crossbow at them. Soren deflects the torrent of bolts sent at him, shouting at the soldiers.

"What are you standing there for, clods," Soren shouts. "If you don't kill this thing, we'll all be shattered!" The soldiers run forward and mindlessly blast at Onyx without hesitation. While Onyx diverts his attention, Soren puts away his swords and grabs Steven and Connie, sprinting away from the fight. Other soldiers run past them, ignoring them. They must know about Onyx now.

"Soren, what is that thing," Steven asks. "Onyx? Who is he?" Soren looks back, then forward, his eyes shifty but tired.

"Onyx is a failed gem experiment to make a super soldier," Soren says. "It was a disaster and now he's a monstrosity that only craves the power of other gems. Blue Diamond was using him to power her ship with the energy he produced already. Now that he's loose, he won't stop until he's a god. And if he ate a Diamond, he's a third of the way there."

"He just eats the gem and gets their power?" Connie asks, mortified. Soren shakes his head.

"More than that," He says, solemnly. "He gets their skills, their weapons, their abilities, even their damned intelligence. He harnesses the very essence of their being and uses it against everyone else."

"Is there a way to get those gems back?" Steven asks, catching on.

"You poof him," Soren says. "His body his unstable, absorbing power that's readily available. But his gem isn't. It's very stable and functional, so his body only acts like a bubble. A place to keep the gems in while his gem funnels the energy into itself. Problem is last time he was loose, it took the power of Yellow _and_ Blue Diamond to poof him. One is gone and half of the other two isn't even in this galaxy."

"What do we do?" Connie asks. Soren looks down at her, his face stoic and scared.

"Pray."

They run past even more soldiers running to try and defeat Onyx and Soren stops at the hole where they entered the ship, covered up by the sheet of metal Jewel used to block them away from the battle. Soren swears. "We can't get out of here without Jewel," Soren says. "How do we get out of here?!" The three hear an explosion a little bit back. Soren looks at Obsidian's gem on the ground, contemplating. He runs over, grabs the gem and runs back. "We don't have time," Soren says, starting to throw fire at the sheet. "If Onyx catches up to us, everyone will die!" Steven and Connie wait anxiously while they hear the sounds of explosions, screams and the sounds of gems getting poofed in the distance rapidly approaching. In about two minutes, Soren has barely broken through the sheet of metal and gem soldiers are already backpedaling into the room, firing into Onyx a bit down the hall. Within time, Onyx charges at a solider and stabs at him with a saber. The gem poofs and he summons a scythe to poof another gem. And then a whip. And then a shank. And then a baton. And then a crash helmet. And then Blue Diamond's revolvers. He rounds up all the gems and eats them all in one gulp.

Steven and Connie step back while Soren turns around and glares at Onyx, who stares at the three of them, his weapons constantly shifting into different weapons. "An elemental will be a nice addition to my profile, don't you think?" The gem says callously. Soren summons two swords, Onyx roaring out in laughter. "If it's a sword fight you want, it's a sword fight you'll get." Onyx says, summoning a broadsword out of thin air. Soren charges forward, clashing blades with Onyx fiercely. Soren attempts to hit any open spot he can as fast as possible, as opposed to Onyx's stationary and solid defensive with a few clashes and shoves. Steven looks at Connie and then the wall, wondering what to do. Connie begins tearing up, obviously thinking they are about to die.

"Steven, I just wanted to say…" Connie begins. Steven grabs her shoulders, staring her in the eyes and responding firmly.

"Tell me after we get out of here." Steven says. He shoves himself at the wall of metal as hard as he can and it doesn't budge. Looking behind him, he sees Soren deflect a sword strike and back up, starting to run out of breath. Steven pulls out Jewel's gem from his pocket and taps it against the metal. It doesn't budge. "Hand me Pearl." Steven says, and Connie does as told, not able to move her eyes from Soren and Onyx's fight. Steven then taps Pearl's gem against the metal. Still nothing. He looks back at the fight. Soren's attacks are slowing and Onyx is getting more aggressive. "I don't get it," Steven says, having an idea growing in his head. "What was causing those explosions?" Connie gasps.

"I know what," She says, looking between Onyx and the sheet of metal. "It's the mist that's emanating from Onyx's weapons! It must be reactive with heat! He must have been blocking Soren's fire and the gems' laser weapons and that would have been causing the explosions!" Soren's ears perked up like he heard all of this and flipped back, hurling a string of fire at Onyx. The gem blocks it with his blade and sure enough, an impressive explosion detonates in the air. Steven winces and Connie covers her ears.

"Get back guys!" Soren yells, charging back into Onyx. Steven and Connie get out of the way of the metal and Soren starts flinging his blades into Onyx's broadsword. Eventually, Soren manages to catch Onyx's blade in between his two and lower them onto the floor. Then, he grabs Onyx's arm and flips the massive gem over his shoulder and into the sheet of metal. Soren shoots a stream of fire at Onyx, who summons something that looks like a massive shield to block the flames. A titanic explosion occurs, and Steven and Connie cover their ears as Onyx is flung backward and the metal rips from the hole from the force of the splatter of flames. "Excellent idea, Connie!" Soren says, smirking at the two kids with a look of awe in his eyes. They run out of the hole into the firefight, still occurring with the UN managing to push the still fighting gems further back near the ship.

"We're not out just yet," Steven says as they run through the fight. "We need to get out of here." Soren throws Obsidian's gem away somewhere in the fight, looking back to see Onyx, barely shaken by the fire he just took to the face, already up. Poofing and eating more gems. He even kills a few UN and gets confused on why they didn't poof. The three get back to the UN army, who are firing at Onyx as well as every single gem soldier on the battlefield. McKreavey stays back, shouting orders to the soldiers as they back up and watch the gems get slaughtered.

"The hell is that thing?!" McKreavey yells at them. Onyx is beginning to force his way through the fight faster than the UN can back away locked in battle.

"Something we can't fight," Soren says. "We need to move! Retreat! Get out and regroup!" McKreavey shakes his head.

"We can't get away from that thing fast enough," He says, looking at Onyx now slaughter the UN brutally. "We need to keep that thing back!" Soren summons his sword and glares at Onyx.

"I'll fight him for long enough you to pull back," Soren says. "You need to keep him back and if you can, push him back. Don't try to stop me." He glares at Steven, knowing what he would do if he could. Steven's eyes well with tears, looking as Soren charges at Onyx and fights with him once more. McKreavey puts his hand on Steven's shoulder and pull the kids away from the scene.

"Everyone retreat, the battle is won," McKreavey calls out into his radio. "Get those RPGs in here!" Steven looks back as the soldiers run away and dive back into the forest. He looks back to see Soren desperately fight Onyx and not seem to win. There is a clash of blades so fast Steven barely sees what happens. But what he does know what happens is that Onyx finds an opening and takes it. Onyx bashes the hilt of the broadsword into Soren's head and swings his sword into his body.

And Soren poofs.

Steven watches in horror as Onyx scoops Soren's gem out of the air. And eat it. Immediately after, a barrage of RPGs hits Onyx and consumes him in fire. And McKreavey grabs Steven and runs away while the soldiers handling the RPGs attempt to turn Onyx into glass, with little effect. Steven can only watch and wonders…

 _How do you fight that? How do you win against that?_

* * *

 **Yup. That just happened. Sorry Dante.**


	34. Chapter 34: Unbeatable Odds (Decision)

**Ah…This is getting very much so complex. Things will get deep from here on out. Which is why YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN CHOOSING THIS PATH FORWARD! I cannot be more serious! People die, things blow up, and it is all on a timer. BE CAREFUL! I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, leave a review. Special thanks to Dante Watterson, LexBoss and BlissfulBloom for providing OCs and ideas. Choose wisely.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: Unbeatable Odds (Decision)

"So the rebel Crystal Gems and the weakling humans," Yellow Diamond said, her eyes bound on the planet. "Shot down one of our Skywatchers, killed a Diamond and released the Onyx in custody." Yellow Diamond is currently looking over the blue and green rock that is Earth, some of it shrouded in cloud and smoke. With the progress they've made against the planet, an aligned planet is fighting for their survival.

And it should not be possible. But they are actually putting up a fight.

Nuclear weapons, primitive laser weapons, and a complete lack of what the Homeworld has in the technology department. And it is happening. They fight with extreme precision, violence, vigor. And it would not be possible without a certain team of Gem rebels.

"We have lost communications in those regions, two of our Skywatchers, and we're not able to get anywhere without having a fight on the ground anymore," Yellow Diamond says, looking down at her Pearl. "Plus, an Onyx in the middle of a theatre of war…

"It's about time we changed our strategies. It's time we stopped fighting the humans and weed out those rebels."

"And how do we do that, my Diamond?" Yellow Diamond's Pearl asks anxiously.

"Leverage," Yellow Diamond says, staring at a large spiral of smoke. "We will find something valuable of theirs, exploit it, and use it to lure them out of hiding. And stomp them out like the pests they are…

"But I get ahead of myself," Yellow Diamond says, sitting down on her throne. "Keep the Supernova with the fleet. Send a command to our Peridots over in sector X2L to bombard the area from orbit. That'll get rid of anything fast. Can't wait to see our new field made of glass…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The UN Base's atmosphere was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. Steven and Connie ran into the war room while everyone was scurrying about. McKreavey was barking orders at soldiers and terminals were going online and off. Amethyst ran forward to Steven. His face was pale and he felt like he was going to vomit any moment. Amethyst grabbed his shoulders and said, "Steven, everyone's here except Soren! Where's Soren? What happened?!" Steven couldn't answer. Amethyst backed up, her hair covering her face. Steven turned to cry in Connie's shoulder.

"We have no time," Garnet said, her voice cracking. "That… _thing_ just stopped its rampage. It's even more powerful than it was before."

"What thing?! What's going on?!" Pearl shrieked, sweating bullets. Steven finally piped up. His voice was small and it raised a few billion octaves.

"Onyx. He ate Blue Diamond and Soren." Amethyst ran off into a separate room. Garnet looked away, concern growing on her face. Pearl's face had an emotion that no human mind could comprehend.

"Nononononononononononono," Pearl mutters. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening."

"It is," McKreavey says, pulling up data from the terminals around him onto the desk. "Not only that, but we detected a large warship coming in from orbit. Radio signals confirm it is coming to decimate the forest. The cannon on that thing has more TNT than a Tsar Bomba. No wait…six Tsar Bombas."

"So, what, the only choice we have is to run?!" Connie asks, sounding more worried.

"No," Steven says. "We're not leaving without Soren."

"Steven, that cannon isn't going to leave much of anything left," McKreavey says. "It's fight or die. And the situation looks it's going to be more or less of the latter."

"Forget escaping," Pearl says, surprisingly calm given the circumstance. "The Onyx has the unique ability to sabotage any weaponry and use it for its use. And it has a Skywatcher."

" _Had_ a Skywatcher." McKreavey says. Pearl shakes her head.

"No, the ship is damaged but as long as it is intact, it'll be functional for use by Onyx," Pearl says. "The gem powers the machinery and the experiment that was run on Onyx was trying to get it to harness even more power against gems by using gems. In case an outbreak ever happened. Or a rebellion."

"And you know this how?" Connie asks.

"You learn a lot of things working under White Diamond, Connie," Pearl says. "And I know what you'll ask. The Onyx wasn't used on the Gem Rebellion because we made sure the experiments went wrong before we declared war. And now we have a defective Onyx thirsty for our gems! WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE SHATTERED!"

"Pearl, get a grip," Jewel says, rubbing the side of her head. "Panicking doesn't get us anywhere."

"True," Connie mutters. "It certainly doesn't go well in XCOM."

"What does a grip get us, Jewel," Pearl asks. "We're doomed."

"No," Steven says. "No. I refuse. We're going in that ship. We are going to get Soren back. We are going to defeat Onyx. We are going to destroy the ship. And we are all going to make it out alive. How much time do we have, McKreavey?"

"Five hours." McKreavey responds.

"Five hours until this forest is leveled," Connie says. "Whatever happens, Steven, I'm at your side." She takes his hand and squeezes it.

"We're talking unbeatable odds," McKreavey says. "Suicidal. If this doesn't work, we all die. The chances of us all surviving are…slim."

"It doesn't matter. We've faced worse…I think," Steven says. "First thing's first. How do we get in the ship?"

"It's currently hovering just above the tree line," McKreavey says. "We have jets. We can make a mad dash for the ship and get as many people as possible in that ship."

"It's suicide," Garnet says. "The armaments on the ship will be functional and Onyx isn't going to be careful about preserving power."

"This entire plan is a suicide mission in the first place," McKreavey says. "People are going to die. And to be frank, we haven't got much of a shot."

"If this is going to work, we need as many people on that ship as possible," Jewel says. "And it would be safer to take another route."

"We don't have much of a choice this time around," Steven says. "What are our options for getting past those weapons?"

"A mad dash for the ship would be faster and could potentially surprise the enemy," McKreavey says. "If our target is the hole we made in the side of the ship, it would be an export and then we would have to get what's left of the ships out of there."

"We're not going to have a way out?" Connie asks.

"No," McKreavey says. "Like Garnet here says, the weapons aren't going to have any restraints on them. If they try to stay and fight, we're not going to have much of an air force left. Then again, we weapons free on that thing, it's likely there's not going to be much of our jets left afterward."

"Fine, let's confuse the weapons then," Steven says. "Do we have things that can do that?"

"Missiles, smoke, flashbangs, EMPs, flares," McKreavey says. "We have plenty. We don't know if it'll work. They could have no effect on the corrupted weaponry. That, and we'd practically be flying blind through it all. We'd be taking a huge risk."

"We lose people either way." Garnet says, her posture slouching.

"Okay," Connie says. "We can take a dash to the ship. It's a guaranteed method and it'll get people onto the ship. But no one will know if it will work. Or we could bombard the ship with everything we have to confuse the weaponry, and charge from there. It's not a guaranteed method for success and no one will know if it will work."

"I don't like our odds." Pearl says.

"Homeworld is tearing Earth apart, Pearl," Steven says, finally cracking. "The odds were never in our favor. It's been an uphill battle ever since they touched down. How do you fight something like that?" Pearl looked at Steven, about to talk back. "You don't," Steven interrupts before Pearl can get a syllable in. "Sorry for interrupting. But we made it this far. We need this victory. If we don't get it, we die." There is silence for a moment.

"Well spoken," Garnet says. "So, what do we choose?"

* * *

 **Death is on the horizon. People will die. The clock is ticking. It all starts here. Five hours to get the mission done. Should they make a dash for the ship or overload the weapon systems? Choose wisely. If you choose wrong, things go south. Not joking. You had better be careful. Have fun.**


	35. Chapter 35: Flying Blind (Decision)

**YOU VOTED! YOU DECIDED! YOU CHOSE TO COMPLETELY KICK THE CRAP OUT OF ONYX'S SHIP WITH FLARES, SMOKE, ECT. Just see how this plays out hmm? I won't be merciful. Anyways, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review! Special thanks to Dante Watterson, LexBoss, and BlissfulBloom for their submissions! AND THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DECISION IN THIS CHAPTER! Have fun.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: Flying Blind

It took an hour to get the supplies needed. Surprisingly, Onyx's ship did not move at all. It was probably waiting for Steven, his militia and the UN to rear their ugly faces. Onyx did not seem to understand the concept of humans not having gems, so he would have one goal. Slaughter everyone. And it also did not seem that Onyx knew that Homeworld was about to blow the entire theatre of war sky high. Steven waited inside of a plane, what Connie called an Osprey. Capable of sending a number of soldiers from Point A to Point B. Inside was Steven, Connie, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Jewel. McKreavey crawls inside, closing the doors and turning on the television inside. There was a camera feed of this Osprey's camera and other cameras.

"Alright, people," McKreavey says. "We get in, we drop, we get our pilots out. Then they wait until they get the go ahead to pick us up. Ready, on my signal. Fire the supplies." Steven felt the plane lurch, hovering slowly and ominously in the air. Steven's heart was beating out of its chest. Connie's face was blank, she looked like she had seen a ghost. Their hands were entwined, and the grip was so tight you could break concrete. "FIRE! FIRE NOW!" McKreavey yells. There was a 'whoosh' sound, with pops and the sound of gas. Steven looked at the feed of the screen specifically looking at Onyx's ship. It looked corrupted, black and almost like smudged glass. It was demonic. Within seconds, the entire ship was engulfed in smoke, flares and fireworks.

"Co-ordinates locked," McKreavey says. "Moving in." The plane lurched forward, going at an insanely fast speed. This continues for a solid six seconds before McKreavey swears loudly. The plane suddenly lurches on its side, Steven and Connie on their back. A massive surge of heat is felt on Steven's back. The plane steadied and McKreavey, looked at the feed. He turned a knob, searching through the feeds of the many, many planes that are bound for the ship.

"What happened," Pear asked, her voice raised another octave. "What was that?!"

"We just lost Unit 184….and 66…and 13," McKreavey says, rubbing his temple. "We nearly got hit. Our flare idea didn't work. Onyx is getting precise hits on our planes."

"Oh no…" Jewel said, covering her mouth.

"Private, we come home alive, you become a Major," McKreavey says to the pilot. "And you get a week off. Don't fail us!" McKreavey turns toward the team. "We're about to fly blind. I recommend you say your prayers." Steven tried to swallow, only held back by his dry tongue. McKreavey turns back to the feed, looking at it and turning the set knob. Screens are static, and about two screens go static every seven seconds. Their own plane, however, was obviously flown expertly. It lurched from side to side, patches of heat going from here to there. Steven grips Connie's hand tightly, closing his eyes. His gem aches. After about three minutes, Steven feels the ship lurch and hears a sharp metal clench above his head. The plane suddenly shifts balance to the side.

"We just took a hit to the wing," McKreavey says. "We aren't half way to the damn ship."

"How's our people?" Garnet asks.

"About forty percent of our people are on the ship, a lot are dead, and most of our pilots are dead or MIA," McKreavey says. "This isn't the best start to our little suicide mission."

"Don't say that…" Steven says, his heart beating a hundred beats a second.

"You listen, men," McKreavey says. "We aren't here to die for our Earth. We're here to make them die for theirs!" The plane lurches again. Steven falls out of his seat, and falls onto his stomach. "That was the top of the other wing," McKreavey says. "We just passed sixty percent of the flight plan."

"This is hopeless!" Pearl shrieks.

"Don't say that!" Jewel and Steven say in chorus. The plane lurches again, Steven feels heat under him. McKreavey swears loudly.

"Gah, this is bullocks," McKreavey screams, putting down his headset. "We aren't going to live through this!"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Steven screams desperately. Tears are welling in his eyes. His eyes were clenched shut. He takes a deep breath and looks up at McKreavey. "How long until we get to the ship?"

"Two minutes." McKreavey says. Sweat is trailing down his face. Steven puts his hands on the floor of the plane.

"You can do this," Steven whispers. "Everyone is depending on you. You can do this." He focuses on his desire to protect his friends. Then, the bubble shield expands from his gem. It completely encompasses the plane. Steven feels sweat crawl down his face. He takes deep breaths.

"Steven, are you nuts?!" Amethyst yells.

"You can't last that long, Steven! No!" Pearl yells.

"You…can't…tell me…what to do," Steven says, trying to stay chipper. "I'm…a Crystal…Gem too! Hehe…Ugh…." He feels lasers constantly hit at his shield, threatening to break it. Steven keeps it running. His face is red and completely engulfed in sweat. He breaths deeply.

'How long has it been,' Steven thinks. 'Thirty seconds. Thirty-one. Thirty-two.' Steven counts in his head, trying to keep his shield running. Connie gets out of her seat, cupping Steven's face in her hands.

"Look at me, Steven," Connie says, her face desperate. "You're going to overexert yourself."

"Over…ex…wha?" Steven says, gasping for breath.

"C'mon, Steven," Connie says, getting within two inches of his face. "You have to stop."

"But…if not…we'll die." Steven says, his eyes getting heavy. He tries to fight the urge to collapse on the floor. "You'll…die…on my watch," Steven says. "And I…don't think…your parents would like tha…ugh…" Steven nearly collapses on the floor, keeping himself up. Connie keeps hold of his shoulders.

"Steven, don't be stupid," Connie says. "Just let it go." Steven looks into her eyes, getting lost in them for a few seconds.

And then he passes out.

When he comes to, he is greeted by the dull lighting of the Osprey… intact. He panics instantly. "WHAT HAPPENED," He yells, looking around. "DID WE MAKE IT?! DID…" Connie interrupts him by covering his mouth with her hand.

"We made it," She says, looking grim. "When the shield faded away, we took a hit in the back rutter. We were close enough to make a crash landing. But…" She trails off, looking at the ground next to Steven.

"But…what?" Steven asks. Connie escorts him outside of the plane. It's demolished, looks half melted. The inside of the gem ship is black, and looks like liquid metal. Around the Osprey are barricades and other soldiers waiting. They look tense. The hole was still covered in smoke. Some of it was the wearing out flares. The other was smoke from-Steven thought-crashed and destroyed planes. Even more threatening, there were bags lined up in rows. Most of it looked to be UN soldiers. A few people Steven recognized were crying.

"With those weapons active, we won't have any ride back from the ship," Connie says. "We're stranded."

"STEVEN!" Pearl's voice yells. Steven is suddenly hugged by Pearl. Steven looks at where the sudden action came from and sees the rest of the gems that were on the flight with him. "We were so worried," Pearl says, her face affectionate. "Thank goodness you're safe!"

"Pearl, be upfront with me," Steven says, looking out of the hole in the ship. "What are we going to do?" Pearl looks unsettled, as does Jewel.

"We're stuck without a way back to the UN Base," Garnet says, crossing her arms. "Onyx killed a lot of the pilots getting here. We're stuck until we can get the weapons turned off. We don't have much time to do so. About three hours and twenty minutes to get this done. Yes, you were out for that long." Steven felt like he was going to vomit. "Onyx corrupted machines to work for him so we're going to be overwhelmed in no time. If we are going to act, it has to be now." Steven sits down on a piece of rubble, his head in his hands.

"This was an awful idea," Steven says. "I led us into a death trap."

"This isn't where we wanted to be, but this is where we are," McKreavey says out of nowhere. "It's either fight or die. It still looks like the latter, but I'm surprised we made it this far."

"Steven, this entire fight against Homeworld has been against our favor," Connie says. "But look at us! We did it! We're beating Homeworld back! We have to get through this fight." Steven takes a deep breath and looks around. The UN, the Militia. Everything Steven fought to preserve could die, here and now. He is not about to let that happen. He sucks in his stomach and looks McKreavey in the eyes.

"What are our options?" Steven asks.

"As it stands, if we lose this area, we lose the fight," McKreavey says. "We won't have a way off of the ship and the pressure will keep coming until we all die off. So, securing fortifications at this site is fundamental. And we will fight kicking and screaming all day, but unless those weapons go offline, what's left of our pilots will not be able to extract us. So, our troops essentially need to be cut in half. Half stays here, and the other half goes out and secures any areas we need secured. Which, right now, would be the area that runs the ship's weaponry."

"Where would that be?" Connie asks.

"Well, really, the tech that runs the weapons would work even if destroyed," McKreavey says. "So, we need to get to the computer center that connects the weapons together and place a large amounts of explosives. Like…ANFO. We need a high amount of ANFO, a few fertilizer bags of it. We place the bags, detonate them, and our weapon problems go away."

"We still need to find Onyx." Steven says.

"He's nowhere to be seen as of now," Garnet says, looking into the ship. "Odds are, he'll be after the squad headed out for the weapons systems."

"So, how do we want to approach this?" Pearl asks.

"Onyx wasn't expecting this," McKreavey says. "I'd give us the detonation of the weapons systems as the minimum amount of time until he emerges. So, we could either set up an ambush or confront him head on. Either way, Onyx goes after the team packing the explosives."

"Of course," Steven says, sweeping his hair back. "Another life ending decision. We need to take a step back and realize what's at stake. An ambush would be safer."

"In that case, you'll need an escort," McKreavey says. "Militia members will be assigned to each group. We need assertive, aggressive people for the op to the weapons network."

"Onion," Steven says instantly. "And Lars."

"As for the other team? Your escort?" McKreavey asks.

"Peedee and his dad," Steven says. "Along with the Pizzas and Sour Cream."

"So, that's staff handled," McKreavey says, looking out to the ship. "Steven, I cannot express how awful this mission will be. We should be fine holding out here against the oncoming drones, I'll be here commanding them. But your team out in the ship are going to be knee deep in dangerous territory. Until Onyx is taken out, they will be in constant danger. We could reduce the pressure by deploying your allies, your 'Crystal Gems.'"

"We don't have enough to make sure both groups are equally defended, though." Connie says.

"Unfortunately, that's what the problem," McKreavey says. "We need to deploy all of the gems to one of the groups. It's either yours or the team setting the explosives." Steven's mouth dried up.

"But I…" Steven started before McKreavey raised his hand to signal him to stop talking.

"We don't have another option," McKreavey says. "We either send them out with you or the team out on the explosive effort. With them, each team has a better chance of not getting blown to hell. And it works for each effort. The explosives team can set the bags faster, and your team can prepare the ambush faster. And to be honest, we can take as long as we need with the ambush, considering that we really don't know when Onyx will show his face. But we need those explosives placed and detonated."

"And we need Onyx to be taken out faster," Steven says. "Then, we'll be able to leave faster."

"At the end of the day, a team needs to be assigned to the gems. So, who's is going to be?" McKreavey asks.

* * *

 **You've got it here folks! That smoke and flare plan failed! MISERABLEY! So many are dead! A great start to this little suicide mission! So, you know the choices! And you know the consequences! Which team will the Crystal Gems be deployed to? Steven's ambush set up, or the team setting the explosives? Vote now!**


	36. Chapter 36: Harmless Explosions

**Uh….this has never happened before. The results were tied….so…I guess I'll go with the result I see first. Uh, I guess the group goes with the explosives. Hm….okay. Anyways, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review.** **Special thanks to Dante Watterson, LexBoss, and BlissfulBloom for their submissions.** **Make sure to choose which action you want the team to follow at the end of the chapter. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER THRITY-SIX: Harmless Explosions

"Guys, go with the team setting up the explosives," Steven said to the group. "McKreavey, we'll take a few of the biggest guns you have."

"It's going to take us longer to set up that trap," Connie says. "Once the weapons systems are off the board, we need to regroup and then start attacking Onyx."

"All we need to do is poof him," Pearl says. "Let's get this started. Where's your explosives?"

"ANFO reserves are in the next chopper," McKreavey says. "And Steven, Connie…you aren't going anywhere without vests."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Boots thud on the black metal as the group heads past the makeshift barricade McKreavey's troops built to hold out. Steven and Connie were wearing thick, green vests. About as well made against laser weaponry as possible, but Steven's shield was still their most valuable weapon. With them was sixteen militia personnel as well as Peedee, his father, and the Pizzas, all of them in militia gear. Steven's friends have miniguns attached to their backs as well as half of the militia personnel. The other half have RPGs. It would take a lot to get past Onyx's extremely formidable strength, but at this point, this is about as much as they can use.

"Four hours and thirty minutes until the Amazon is destroyed," McKreavey says. "Let's pick up the pace."

"One thing at a time," Garnet says. "For now, we focus on the priorities of securing an exit and taking out Onyx. "

Steven's team keep an eye for whatever is around, and keep examining where they are in relation to where they are on the ship. Steven cannot help but notice how demonic everything looks. Before, it was green and modern. It looked uniform and put together. And now, everything is black with the texture of slime running down a wall. The occasional red came in here and there, and it spooked Steven out especially. Onyx can corrupt whatever he wants with this level of efficiency. And it certainly doesn't help the fact that Soren's gem is in his hands. Or- he guesses- stomach.

"Engaging," McKreavey radios. "Titan Robonoids, except very messed up."

"They're intercepting everything that comes in," Pearl says. "Onyx doesn't take prisoners. If any foreign body enters his domain, his antibodies clean them up. Keep your eyes open."

"Approaching the weapons systems," Lars's voice chirps. "These things look…God."

"Set up the explosives," Garnet commands. "We've got- LOOK OUT!" Gunfire sparks and then the radio goes silent. Steven's voice goes dry. A militia soldier holds and puts his fist in the air. Steven can here gunfire.

"That's close." Connie notes.

"This way." Mr. Fryman says, leading the charge. They go through the hallways, following the sounds of gunfire until they can hear it down one specific hall.

"We can set up our ambush here!" Connie says.

"Let's set up." Kiki says, setting up the tripods and mobile cover. They start building up a hexagonal shape with the miniguns faced towards the sounds of gunfire. Everyone puts their RPGs of the ground against the cover near the miniguns. That was the plan anyways.

In theory, it should have been simple. In practice, it was about three minutes of setting up until they see movement. Steven turns around to see black, gooey orbs with legs headed their way. On their sides are turrets, which can fire their weapons. Which they did. They erupted, their reports firing red beams toward the group. At this time, they were setting up three sides of the hexagon facing the fight down the hall. Then the Robonoids set up about sixteen feet away, and open fire. Steven covered his head with his hands, yelping as the beams pass over his head. Kofi screams as he takes a hit in the joint connecting his shoulder to his arm. Two of the militia soldiers fall to the floor, dead. They leak blood, which Steven stares at for a good five seconds before realizing the attack isn't over.

"Set up those barricades!" Fryman shouts, taking a piece of mobile cover and placing it on the side where the Robonoids are firing from. Steven runs forward, summoning a massive shield. He places himself in front of the militia setting up one area of cover, and takes in the strain. His muscles strained, sweat pouring down his face. He leveled his breathing. He's getting good at this. He thinks, looking around for areas to throw his shield.

"Connie! Where…"

"See that red light on the wall?! Throw it there!" Connie was way ahead of him.

Steven took a deep breath and held it. He shrunk his shield, and promptly lowered his head, avoiding the incoming fire. He drops to a knee, and throws his shield to where Connie told him to throw. His shield hits the red light on the wall and ricochets into the middle of the horde, causing the Robonoids to flinch as they were taking hits. The shield hit from Robonoid to Robonoid, and the fire became less focused. Steven jumps over the mobile cover and hides behind it, and shortly the Robonoid fire starts focusing again. The militia, having set up the barricade, hide behind it and start firing at the Robonoids, starting to dispatch them.

"Kofi, here!" Steven says. He crawls over and licks his hand, placing it over Kofi's shoulder. Kofi feels his shoulder, noticing it is healed.

"Thank you, Steven," Kofi says, pulling up his rifle. "I'll give you Robonoids a piece of my mind!"

The gunfight continues, with Steven's group huddled in their cover and the Robonoids firing aggressively to join the fight that's behind them.

"Ack!" Lars yells through the radio.

"Everyone okay?" Steven asks through the radio.

"We're doing fine," Jewel says, grunting. "Lars here just took one in the leg. We don't have any deaths and the explosives are nearly set up. How are you guys going?"

"Two deaths," Connie says, her voice shaky. "We're being attacked by Robonoids, and we're taking a little bit to get said up. Any sign of Onyx?"

"Not yet," Amethyst replies. "We'll head your way when he shows up. Hopefully, we'll get lucky and he'll get caught in the explosion. Yo, McKreavey! How're you doin'?"

"Still doing well," McKreavey says. "This area will be ready to go when we leave." The Robonoids keep on coming, and the firefight gets more intense. Steven throws his shield here and there, but Connie wouldn't be able to use her sword since the Robonoids were so far away. The fight goes well for another ten minutes. And then, the Robonoids start coming in with even more units. They started pushing further, trying to push the soldiers out of cover. The fire is so bad that barely anyone can get out of cover. Mr. Fryman peeks out of cover to fire a few shots at the Robonoids.

A laser passes through his head. He falls on the floor, unmoving. His head leaks blood.

"DAD!" Peedee yells. He tries to get up and forgets about the fact that there is a firefight going on. Connie grabs his arm and wraps her arm around his waist, keeping his head low and keeping him unmoving. Peedee is screaming and kicking, unable to calm down. Steven grabs Peedee's shoulders and looks into his eyes.

"Peedee! Peedee! Hey, calm down," Steven says. "Come on, we've got to get out of this alive."

Steven looked back to see Fryman, still not moving. Kofi was staring at the body. He couldn't seem to move. The Robonoids use the sudden stop in firepower to move forward, which meant even more lasers whizzing past. Steven yelps, ducking. So does Connie and Peedee, the latter of which is screaming. The Robonoids move forward, and Kofi, who didn't move, is gunned down. Jenny and Kiki, turned around to see their father fall. They seemed to choke, and started to move.

"DON'T MOVE!" Steven roared. Jenny and Kiki fell back into cover. The Robonoids were still moving forward. Steven moved immediately from shock to anger. His blood was boiling. How dare these robots kill these fathers?! How dare they take Soren?! He clenched his teeth, tears welling in his eyes. Steven summons his shield and leaps from behind cover, holding it in front of him, taking a lot of firepower. His muscles immediately ached, a headache forming in his head. He summons his bubble shield, the stress taken away, and the bubble now taking in the gunfire. The lasers made hard indents in his bubble, and Steven rolled forward aggressively. Connie took the opportunity and leaped in as well. The Robonoids staggered as Steven crashed into them and made the bubble explode, making them flinch hard. He turns at a Robonoid at his left and uses his shield to cut through the turret like butter. Black goop splatters all over his vest, and Steven kicks behind him, sending a few Robonoids flying. Steven bashes more into the Robonoid with his shield, causing it to leak more goop. He throws it into more Robonoids, effectively causing major chaos.

"Go, Steven!" Jenny yells. The militia start cheering at Steven's violent attack.

Connie uses the surprise brute force caused by Steven to cut into more Robonoids, slicing them into pieces while Steven continues bashing them and blocking the lasers fired by them. They continue bashing hard at them, effectively pushing them back. And then, Pearl screeches through the radio.

"ONYX!"

"Pull yourself together, girl!" Amethyst says.

"Explosives set up," Garnet says. "And Onion is doing…. Something. We'll be with you guys in a few moments." Steven and Connie nod at one another, and run back, taking up cover. The militia go behind cover and continue firing, Peedee and the twins have their head back in the game and are now firing intently at the confused Robonoids. And then, a few moments later, two huge explosions go off at the Robonoids. The explosions effectively destroy all of the Robonoids, and the Crystal Gems show up. Garnet had caused the explosions, as she had apparently used her gauntlet missiles. More militia soldiers show up behind them, and Onion- who is wearing the militia armor with no helmet- is looking quite skittish. Lars vaults into cover and huddles up.

"HE'S COMING!" Lars shouts. Onion pulls out a detonator and pressed the red button. And immediately, there is a loud crash. Flames lick at the hallway, and red metal is suddenly flying through the air. Steven hides his face and looks back a bit later, seeing the hallway engulfed in fire and dark ash and smoke filling the air.

"Troops are seeing a second hole in the ship on the ground," McKreavey says. "And I felt that from here. The ANFO was not supposed to be that powerful. How did you go that?!"

"Onion." Steven says, grinning at the small child.

Onion gives a thumbs up, a murderous look in his eyes.

"There's Onyx," Jewel says. "Attack!"

The militia take up the miniguns, RPGs, and the Crystal Gems use their abilities to fire on Onyx's tall, dark figure the second they see him. A large combination of explosions hits Onyx straight in the chest and there is a solid two minutes of Onyx getting blasted with explosion after explosion, with bullets thrown in the mix. Then, everyone stops. There is some silence, and Onyx walks through the smoke. He has a limp- a bad one- and he has a few cuts and bruises. But otherwise, he's smiling. His tongue is hanging out of his mouth, acid dripping onto the floor.

"Cute." Onyx says simply. He summons a black spear and hurls it at the group. Everyone scatters, avoiding the spear as it lands in the center of the group and explodes. The militia gets back on their feet and keep firing at Onyx as he simply walks through the area. Jewel leaps forward, summoning a sword and lunging at his chest. Onyx ducks out of the way, grabs Jewel's ankle, and slams her against the wall. Jewel gasps, her face contorted in pain. She rolls on the floor, unmoving. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl- being much more experienced at working as a team- attack simultaneously. Pearl slides under Onyx's legs, slicing at Onyx's thighs. While Onyx is turning to follow Pearl's movements, Garnet punches at the gem's side and throws more jabs at his stomach. Amethyst uses her whips to pull Onyx's hands back to leave him open.

For a second, Onyx slowed down, and was taking damage from all sides by the gems and the militia. Then, he simply threw Amethyst over his shoulder, stunning her for a second. He then grabs Pearl's spear, ripping it out of her hands and kicking her away. Garnet moves forward to throw another punch, but Onyx summons a scythe and swings it, forcing Garnet back. He turns to see a charging Pearl, sweeping his scythe to trips her. He then raises his scythe to impale her. Steven prepared to throw his shield, but he wasn't able to throw it in time. Luckily, Amethyst whipped her weapon to wrap around the scythe, pulling it away from Onyx's grasp. Amethyst prepares for another strike, but Onyx leaps forward, and kicks him into the wall. Jewel began to stir.

Pearl got up, stunned, as Garnet moves forward for another punch. Garnet's gauntlet is caught by Onyx's hand, who smirks. On his other hand, he summons his own gauntlet-only with diamonds instead of stars on the knuckles and looking extremely demonic. Onyx lunges to the side and punches Garnet, which actually creates a sonic boom. The shockwave knocked multiple militia soldiers off their feet. Steven and Connie were rolled off their feet, and Garnet goes flying. Steven hits his head on the metal, and he groans. He looks to see Connie rubbing her head.

"Connie!" He says, grabbing her shoulder. She looks bad. Steven looks back, seeing Pearl on the wall with Onyx's arm on her throat. She falls. Onyx looks at the nearest militia soldier, and walks over. He puts his foot on the soldier's back, who starts screaming bloody murder. Onyx applies more pressure, and Steven looks away before…

CRUNCH! The soldier stops screaming.

Steven gets up, and summons his shield. He sprints toward Onyx despite Connie screaming not to. Onyx, looking discontent and confused at the body before him, didn't have the time to react appropriately to Steven's attack. He simply punches at Steven, and Steven- obeying his instincts- raises his shield and stops moving. He punches the shield and the thing resonates, sending loud reverberations through the air. Onyx staggers, his skin steaming and himself screaming. He raises his hands onto his ears, and writhing at the sound of Steven's shield vibrating. Steven steps back, motioning at Connie to come over. Connie, getting the idea, pulls out her sword and starts banging it against Steven's shield, making only light dinging sounds.

Steven grunts in frustration. Connie looks like she's about kill everyone in the room.

The noise starts to wear off, and Onyx looks like he's about to rip the two kids inside out. Luckily, before he does anything, Onyx is impaled by Jewel's sword. Jewel must have gotten up while the fight was going on. Jewel waits a few seconds, seeing Onyx _not_ poof, and then pulls out her sword. Garnet, flying out of nowhere, punches Onyx in the face. Onyx goes flying a little bit down the hall, right over Jewel, ducking. They obviously coordinated the attack somehow. Garnet stands in front of the kids, prepared for the next attack.

"Garnet," Steven says. "Onyx is weak to the shield's vibrations!" Garnet glances over her shoulder fast, looking at Steven really quick. She turns back to see Onyx start stirring, and standing up as if what just happened did not happen. Garnet starts looking around. Steven sees the same things she does, the Crystal Gems out of commission, as well as the militia half conscious. And then, Garnet comes to a conclusion that makes perfect sense:

"Give me your shield."

Steven wasn't sure how giving away his shield was going to help, but he didn't ask. He got the idea. Then, Garnet defused before his eyes, with Ruby holding his shield and Sapphire in a fighting stance.

"You sure?" Sapphire asks. Her dress looks the same as it did all that time ago, when things were still somewhat normal. So did Ruby's fighting outfit, except the fact that he was holding Steven's shield. Ruby had a glimmer of sweat on her head.

"Positive. I think," Ruby says, summoning his gauntlet. "Go. Steven, Connie, check him out. We gotta know how to weaken him."

"I'd love to see you tr-AGH!" Onyx screams, getting cut off by Ruby hitting Steven's shield. Steven guessed that since gems are naturally stronger than humans, Ruby could strike at the shield hard enough to make the resonating sound. Which may be as hard as a missile flying at full speed. Ruby keeps smashing at the shield, making Onyx writhe in obvious pain. Meanwhile, Sapphire vanishes in a flash of blue, a blur appearing and disappearing, taking the gems and soldiers with her. Super speed is handy, especially when you need to get a lot of people out of a place quickly. Steven and Connie draw their weapons and charge, slicing and swinging at the gem eater. Steven noticed that no matter how hard they hit, they did not seem to be able to make a dent. Only the magic energy from Steven's shield being emanated from the sound seems to be harming him, but no other magic seemed to have any effect.

It reminded Steven of how Lapis's water magic seemed really strong and was actually winning the fight when she stole Earth's oceans forever ago. Steven's shield managed to disable Lapis's magic in one fell swoop by the same resonance. So….Onyx is made of gem magic, which resonates with gem magic. Steven keeps fighting, swinging and chucking and catching is shield, then jumping to a different angle when Onyx flails his direction. Connie is way more efficient at fighting than him, but he still does an efficient job. He jumps around and notices a deep cut at Onyx's side. Steven's heart start beating really fast in excitement.

"Connie, over here!" Steven calls out. They both meet at Onyx's side and follow it wherever the gem moves, cutting deeper and deeper into Onyx's form. Sweat flies off of each other's faces, and there is only a flash of weaponry as they see the cut get deeper into the grey chunk of Onyx's chest. Eventually, Connie cuts into Onyx and is greeted by a puff of black smoke and the scent of rotten eggs. Steven and Connie jump back, holding their noses and waiting for Onyx to poof. Steven accidentally got some of the smoke in his mouth and was trying not to throw up. The smoke pours out fast and aggressively, as if it was under pressure. Even making the evil _hisssss_ sound, which had a hint of discordant violin and cello. They see Onyx glow black, seemingly about to poof. But Onyx simply turns back into regular Onyx and stops smoking. Onyx's face had turned black with anger, kind of like angry blushing.

"That's all I needed to see." Sapphire says, suddenly at Ruby's side. She has a smirk on her face. She runs forward (well, less like a run, more like a flash) and suddenly, Steven sees blurs of black all around him for about twelve seconds. Then it stops, and Steven is hit with a light headed feeling. Connie has about the same reaction Steven did the first time he went through that: off balance, dazed, and groaning "ughhh…"

Then Ruby appeared with Sapphire. Onyx was nowhere in sight. But Sapphire had clearly taken the soldiers and gems somewhere else on the ship. They were safe for now.

"Where are we?" Steven asks, holding onto Connie to help her keep her balance.

"The very end of the index finger of the ship," Sapphire says. "Far enough away to be safe from Onyx for a good amount of time. So, what did you guys find out?"

"For one, Onyx is weak to the shield's resonance." Connie says.

"Yeah, that was apparent." Ruby says, rolling her shoulders to show off Steven's shield.

"But we noticed there was a cut in Onyx's side," Steven says. "And we were able to make it deeper."

"Hit it hard enough, and it dies," Ruby says, grinning. "That solution still applies, eh?"

"Not really," Sapphire says. "That…thing is able to resist poofing." Steven agrees with the fact that Onyx isn't humane (ironically) enough to be gem. It kills without remorse, and shows no emotion when doing so.

"What about the smoke?" Connie asks. Steven was thinking the same thing.

"I dunno," Ruby says. "Pearl knows most about Onyx. We can ask her about it when she wakes up." Steven noticed that Pearl is unconscious. So is pretty much everyone here. Ruby hands Steven back his shield, and Steven promptly makes it disappear. Ruby faces Sapphire.

"M'lady," Ruby says, grinning. "Shall we?" Sapphire turns dark blue.

"Oh…sure." Sapphire takes Ruby's hand, and they start dancing.

* * *

 **Sorry for the giant delay getting this out. Decision chapter is next. See you guys then.**


	37. Chapter 37: Jumping Hurtles (Decision)

**Guess what guys?! Another decision to make! WOOO! This'll be fun! Anyways, I don't own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review. Special thanks to Dante Watterson, LexBoss, and BlissfulBloom for their submissions. Make sure to choose which action you want the team to follow at the end of the chapter. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: Jumping Hurtles

"Four hours until orbital bombardment," Garnet notes. "We had better get rid of Onyx and fast. We need a plan."

Pearl had come back into consciousness, and everyone was huddled around their corner, keeping watch for any enemies that come nearby, but hiding instead of firing. They didn't want to give themselves away too soon, and there were only so many places they could go. Steven had taken to healing the members of the Militia and the gems who had gotten injured, and Amethyst appeared to be much more solemn that usual. Peedee, Jenny, and Kiki were silent as the grave. Their fathers were just killed, and they didn't even get the bodies while running. Steven felt guilty, but he knew deaths were going to happen anyways. Still, he couldn't get the images of Kofi and Mr. Fryman getting gunned down out of his head.

"Our last plan almost worked," Jewel said, rubbing her chin. "If only we could….we need to find a way to poof him faster. What could make that work?"

"Not much," Pearl says. "To be honest, I think almost poofing Onyx was luck. If this is going to work, we need a high damage output. Like…."

"The core of the ship?" Garnet asks, a smug look on her face. Everyone looks at her, completely baffled at the sudden violent suggestion from Garnet.

"Would…could that work?" Connie asks.

"It worked for Jasper, it may work for Onyx." Garnet says. Lars stands up, waving his arms from side to side as if swiping papers off a desk.

"Woah, woah, woah," Lars says, stopping the discussion. "Forget even getting Onyx to follow us to the core. Forget getting from one side of the ship to the other. If we want to get Onyx weak enough to lug him into a ship's core, we need to have everyone on the ship in one place and then some. How is that going to work?!" Everyone looked from person to person, thinking that Lars kind of has a point.

"Donut guy has a point," Amethyst says. "Our little platoon of do-gooders barely put a scratch on 'em."

"Good point," Connie says, pulling out her radio. "McKreavey, we need everyone in one place if we're going to defeat Onyx. We need you to make it into our area, further into the ship."

"Kid, you're crazy," McKreavey calls back into the radio. "If we leave, we make the risk of losing our exit off this damned ship. Not to mention the way further into the ship is a death trap." Steven grabs a radio, tuning in.

"McKreavey, we won't be able to defeat him otherwise," Steven says. "We need you further in the ship! Can you, like, get more guys and rush into the ship?"

"There isn't much of my UN force left to start with," McKreavey says. "And even so, our exits our plugged with Titan Robonoids. We would need those Robonoids gone, which would take a lot of effort and time. And even then, it would be practically impossible to get past them!"

"Can't we just…blow up a new path for you guys?" Amethyst asks, thinking resourcefully.

"And risk giving away where we are? Right." Lars cracks, rolling his eyes.

"It's not really like Onyx doesn't already know where we are," McKreavey radios. "We've been fighting these Robonoids for a while now."

"But an explosion carving a hole through a ship is bound to draw some attention," Jewel says. "Onyx doesn't know where we are for the time being. Moving through one of the exits while just killing those Robonoids would be a quieter solution, and it doesn't tip off Onyx where we are as much."

"But there's too much of a risk," Steven says. "If we try to go through there, too many people could get killed."

"See," Amethyst says. "We should just blow up the wall! Much simpler, less of a headache."

"Onyx will come down hard on us if we do," Garnet says. "But it gives us an opportunity to get away. And less lives will be lost as a result."

"I'll let you guys bicker about this," McKreavey radios. "I'll call for extra manpower and weapons. We should be ready to go in a half hour. Out."

"Understood," Connie says, putting the radio down. "So, we could brute force our way through the Robonoids blocking their path."

"That would allow for an easier set up for the ambush," Pearl says, thinking. "But it could also lead to a large amount of human deaths. Possibly, one of us." Steven thinks back to Kofi and Fryman getting shot.

"Or we could blow up a hole through the wall separating us and them." Amethyst says, her eyes sparkling.

"But it'll draw Onyx's attention," Jewel says. "And we'll have more difficult of a time preparing for the ambush."

"But less lives will be lost?" Steven asks, looking at Garnet. Garnet stares into space for a moment, then looks at Steven, nodding. Steven thinks hard, and he decides….

* * *

 **Brute force or explosion, folks? Brute force is a cleaner but it leads to more casualties. An explosion creates a fast solution, but it lets Onyx know where they are. You know the actions, and each have consequences. Pick wisely.**


End file.
